One of the first names to pop on Celtic’s summer transfer radar is Alfie Devine.
The 2026 summer transfer window officially opens on June 16, and Celtic are expected to be one of the busier teams, given the job required to rebuild the squad.
Devine’s links to Celtic, after his successful loan spell at Preston North End during the recently concluded campaign, are interesting because this is a player who worked under Ange Postecoglou.
When Postecoglou first moved to Spurs in 2023, Devine was loaned out to Port Vale, and his return to Hotspur Way impressed Celtic’s Treble-winning hero.
“Alfie has had a really good pre-season,” said Postecoglou in 2024. “And again, compare it to last year, and he’s definitely developed.”
Is Alfie Devine the kind of player you want to see Celtic sign?
Alfie Devine made an ‘impression’ on Ange Postecoglou, as Celtic now circle
Whatever happens, Celtic need to rebuild and refresh their midfield. That’s without anybody leaving.
If the likes of Arne Engels head for the exit door, then the number of players required increases, so these links with Devine are understandable.
At the age of 21, the rising Spurs star is still developing, but even back in 2024, Postecoglou was considering throwing him straight into the deep end.
Since then, Devine has progressed even further and got better, as Preston push to re-sign him for around ‘£6 million’ after his impressive loan campaign at Deepdale.
But given that Postecoglou was impressed by what he saw from Devine several years ago, and now he has got better, then these links should excite Celtic fans.
“We’ll have a look at it really closely,” said Postecoglou about Devine in 2024.
“I agree, Alfie has had a really good pre-season, and again, compare it to last year, and he’s definitely developed. Part of that is probably because he played senior football last year on loan.
“A lot of them will be judged by what outs we have between now and the start of the season. I wouldn’t want to keep him with us unless I really felt he could get some significant game time, because I don’t want to startle his development, because he is a player who can make an impact here at Spurs.
Fair to say he and the other younger guys, Jamie Donley and Will Lankshear, have made an impression both in the way they have trained and the way they have played games. We’ll have a close look at what the next steps are.”
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