adminRoberto De Zerbi has obvious solution to Tottenham biggest issue as loanee set to return
Alfie Devine could be the creative spark Tottenham desperately need under Roberto De Zerbi
Tottenham Hotspur’s lack of invention in the final third has been glaring all season. According to Understat, Spurs have generated the fourth-lowest expected goals in the Premier League at just 41.75, with only Wolves, Burnley, and Sunderland posting inferior numbers—a deeply worrying statistic.
Enter Alfie Devine. The Warrington-born youngster has flourished on loan at Preston North End in the Championship, fuelling growing calls for him to be integrated into the first-team setup.
Devine is due back in North London this summer, and his return could offer De Zerbi a timely and obvious remedy to the team’s creative struggles.
The 21-year-old’s loan spell has been eye-catching. He registered eight goals and six assists in the second tier (Sofascore), a contribution that’s impossible to dismiss. Averaging 1.9 shots and 1.2 key passes per game, Devine also carved out nine big chances for his Preston teammates.
A 57% dribble success rate and an average of 10.9 possessions lost per match underline his willingness to take risks and make things happen.
That fearless, inventive energy is precisely what Spurs have been missing, and Devine could well be the answer to a problem that has haunted the N17 side all season.
A pathway appears to be opening. James Maddison’s ongoing fitness concerns, coupled with Xavi Simons’ expected absence until 2027 following an ACL injury sustained against Wolves, creates a potential vacancy in the attacking midfield positions.
With one playmaker sidelined long-term and uncertainty clouding the other, Devine has a genuine chance to step up—and his Championship performances suggest he’s ready to seize it.
If he can, it would lift a significant burden from De Zerbi, finally resolving an issue he’s been unable to fix since taking charge.
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