Alfie Devine looks set to remain at Preston North End on a permanent basis after the Championship side agreed a deal with Tottenham Hotspur for the midfielder.
Preston had initially allowed the deadline to trigger their option to buy the 21-year-old to pass, raising hopes among rival clubs, including Celtic, that they could make a move for the England youth international.
The Scottish champions had been strongly linked with Devine, but any prospect of a switch to Glasgow now appears to have ended.
According to Alasdair Gold of the Daily Mirror, the midfielder underwent a medical with Preston on Tuesday ahead of completing his permanent transfer.
Devine impressed during his loan spell at Deepdale last season, attracting interest from several clubs, but Preston have ultimately won the race for his signature.
Celtic’s admiration for the former Tottenham youngster has been well documented, with the club’s interest first coming to light when Mark Fotheringham and Martin O’Neill were spotted watching Preston’s Championship meeting with QPR earlier this year.
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4 Comments
No like Celtic to drag their heels and miss out on signings……
Who would have thought. Chose Preston over Celtic?
Hope that’s the last time Martin O’Neil comes to watch a Preston game.😁😁😁
Big setback for ourselves imo?
Don’t believe that the fee involved would have been an issue?
Can’t see how Preston could offer a better contract to Devine, than ourselves either imo?
Fail to see how Devine can consider that Preston is a better career opportunity, for himself, than what is on offer with our club also?
So can only conclude, that the prospect of the SPFL is declining, even worse than I actually thought, by the looks of things now?
Not to bothered about rumoured players, ending up at clubs, that we have never really heard of?
But losing out to Preston, is very concerning?
Looking like the pedigree of players with the quality factor, is becoming a smaller pool of players, year on year?
Johnny,mibbe his agent briefed him o nthe slipshod,amateur hour way our club is run by gobshites who are under qualified and overpaid !
I’m not of the opinion he viewed his prospects playing in Scotland AND possibly the champions league (but definitely Europe)as being a negative factor in the boy’s thinking.
More likely word has got round that we are feckin basket case of a club with no real ambition to be the best version of ourselves.
It truly is a sad indictment to consider.