Football League World

Kevin Danso won the Europa League with Tottenham Hotspur last season, having joined the club on loan from French side Lens in January. However, what people may not know is that this wasn't his first move to England, nor even his second.

Having been born in Austria, Kevin Danso and his family moved to England whilst he was still only six, and he would join the academy of MK Dons at Under-9's level.

He'd leave the club in 2014 without ever making a senior appearance for the Buckinghamshire outfit, joining German side FC Augsburg, where he would begin his professional football career.

He made his Bundesliga debut in March 2017 at 18 years and 165 days old, becoming the youngest-ever player to make their debut for the club, and just a week later, he signed his fresh four-year deal with the German side.

Despite his early promise, the Austrian failed to truly nail down a place in the starting eleven at Augsburg for the next two years, with a combination of injuries and competition from Jeffrey Gouweleeuw and Martin Hinteregger keeping him out of the side.

Despite his lack of game time, this did not deter then-Premier League side Southampton from signing Danso on loan with an option to buy in August 2019, with compatriot Ralph Hasenhuttl bringing him to the club.

MK Dons and Southampton never saw the best of Kevin Danso

Danso's time at St Mary's did not exactly go to plan, to say the least.

The Austrian's start to life on the South Coast could not have gotten off to a better start, playing the full ninety minutes in a 2-0 away victory at Brighton and Hove Albion on his debut, but unfortunately for him and Southampton fans, it was not a sign of things to come.

Danso would start the season playing as a left-back, and in only his second game for the club, he was sent off for two yellow cards in a 1-1 home draw to Man United, which was the beginning of his downfall.

Having missed the next game due to suspension against Sheffield United, Danso returned to the lineup at home to Bournemouth, but would be replaced at half-time by Ryan Bertrand in their 3-1 defeat.

He'd play just a combined eight minutes in the next three matches as he fell out of favour, but would be reintroduced to the starting eleven at home to Leicester City. What happened next effectively ended his Southampton career.

Southampton found themselves 5-0 down before the break, with Bertrand having been sent off in the 12th minute, and Danso was replaced at half-time in what was damage limitation for the Saints.

They'd end up losing 9-0 at home in what is the joint-biggest Premier League defeat of all time, and Danso would play just once more for the club before spending the rest of the season either out of the squad or warming the bench.

MK Dons never saw what Danso was capable of; Southampton saw him at his worst, and neither could have predicted the trajectory he would go on thereafter.

Kevin Danso has become a solid Premier League player since leaving MK Dons and Southampton

Danso spent the following season on loan with Fortuna Dusseldorf in the German second tier, where he found regular playing time, missing just two league games all season, followed by a move to Ligue 1 side Lens in August 2021.

The 27-year-old spent three-and-a-half years as an important player in the French side's back line, playing in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League during his stay in the North East of the country.

He'd join Ange Postecoglou's Spurs on loan in January 2025 and would make 15 appearances in all competitions as Spurs endured their lowest top-flight finish in 48 years, but would achieve European glory by lifting the Europa League.

Danso's move became permanent this summer for a fee of around £21 million, but under new boss Thomas Frank, he has so far been used sparingly, playing just 16 minutes of Premier League football so far this season.

James Maddison has taken a dig at Ipswich Town following their victory over Norwich City.

The two sides met to compete in the East Anglian derby last time out at Portman Road, with the Tractor Boys running out 3-1 victors.

Kieran McKenna’s outfit looked more likely to claim victory from minute one, controlling the ball and slowly breaking down Norwich’s defence. This pressure culminated in an opener courtesy of Cedric Kipre, who smashed home from a corner.

The Canaries responded almost instantly, as Oscar Schwartau’s strike from outside the box deflected past Alex Palmer to level the scoring.

Ipswich continued to enjoy the majority of chances however, and were back in front just before half-time due to a wonder strike from star winger Jaden Philogene.

Jack Clarke increased the Suffolk side’s advantage 13 minutes from time, which subsequently secured them all three points, boosting McKenna's men up to ninth in the standings and six points behind league leaders Coventry City.

This victory marked the first time in 16 years that Ipswich had beaten Norwich in the league, which has led to increased celebrations from all those involved with the club.

Norwich, of course, have endured a difficult start to the season under head coach Liam Manning, who is coming under ever-intensifying pressure, and suffering defeat in such an important fixture where, historically speaking, they've held the bragging rights, has only compounded the frustration surrounding Carrow Road at this moment in time.

Such acts of jubilation have caught the attention of people connected to the Canaries, including ex-player James Maddison.

Ex-Norwich City star James Maddison hits out at Ipswich Town following derby triumph

Maddison made over 50 appearances for Norwich City during the formative period of his career after joining from boyhood side Coventry City, with his 14 goals and eight assists during the 2017/18 Championship campaign enough to convince Leicester City to acquire his services.

It was at Carrow Road where the England international really blossomed as a player, and he still holds a large amount of good feeling for the Norfolk side as a result.

When Norwich beat Ipswich 1-0 in April 2024, in which the winning goal was rather ironically scored by no other than Marcelino Nunez, Maddison took to social media to revel in the victory, stating: "Just in case anyone needed reminding…East Anglia is & always will be yellow and green. 15 years now?"

Following the Tractor Boys’ recent win, the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder was reminded of this by an Ipswich fan, who quoted Maddison’s original post saying: "Any update on this?"

Never one to back down from confrontation, the former Norwich star replied: “1 win in 16 years. Have some shame son.”

Ipswich Town supporters will hope to have the last laugh this season

As Maddison stated, Ipswich have only just bested Norwich for the first time in 16 years, with the Canaries enjoying many more victories to celebrate in that time period.

The Tractor Boys have good reason to celebrate though, with this triumph a rare source of joy in an otherwise dismal 2025.

Although the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder can boast now, it may be McKenna and Co. who have the last laugh after 46 matches.

Ipswich’s squad is filled to the brim with talent, and they finally look like they are gaining some momentum in this Championship campaign.

If the Suffolk side can put their quality to good use and climb up the table further, there may be much less for Maddison and Norwich to fight back with, especially as the Canaries' struggles continue.

When young players go out on loan from the biggest clubs things can not work out, as Norwich City found to their cost in 2018, leaving them asking "what if?"

The raw talent in Marcus Edwards was visible from an early age. Put into the academy system at Tottenham Hotspur at just eight years old, by the time he signed his first professional contract with the club in 2016 at 17 years of age, it was in the face of a mountain of interest in him from elsewhere.

But when Edwards was sent out on loan for the first time, to Norwich City, things couldn't have gone much worse for him. He ended up barely even playing for them before returning to White Hart Lane amid a level of criticism that was unwarranted, given that he was only 17 years of age at the time, but given the progress that he's made since Norwich, fans may be forgiven wondering what might have happened had he stayed longer with them.

Marcus Edwards' loan at Norwich City from Tottenham was an unmitigated disaster

Born in Enfield, just a short distance from White Hart Lane, Marcus Edwards had the chance to be "one of our own." But expectations were high from an early age. Shortly before he made his professional debut for Spurs against Gillingham in the EFL Cup in September 2016, for example, the Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino said of him, "His qualities … it’s only looks - his body and the way that he plays — remember a little bit from the beginning of Messi." By this time, his nickname at Spurs was already "Mini Messi." No pressure then, Marcus.

That match against Gillingham, but this turned out to be his only appearance for the North London giants. By the January 2018 transfer window, he was considered ready to go out on loan to fine-tune his obvious natural talent, and Norwich City was his destination.

But three months later, Edwards was back at White Hart Lane, his loan spell curtailed amid suggestions of an attitude problem. On the pitch, he managed just six minutes of football for Norwich City, and it took two months before he even got onto the substitutes bench for them. His sole appearance came at the end of March 2018, when he played the final six minutes of a 2-0 home defeat to Fulham which left them in 13th place in the Championship.

In the middle of April, he returned to White Hart Lane for ‘personal reasons.’ There had been criticism of his time-keeping, that he had been repeatedly been late, and that he hadn't been willing to integrate with the rest of the Norwich players. The viewpoint from Spurs was that Edwards was highly introverted.

But it was clear that the "next Messi" tag applied to him at White Hart Lane had not helped him. Admitting the loan to have been a failure, Spurs waived the remainder of the fees that would have been payable for the last few weeks of his time at Carrow Road.

Marcus Edwards truly found his feet in Portugal after Norwich City stint

In September 2018, Edwards was sent on loan again, this time to the Dutch club Excelsior, and despite the fact that they ended the season by getting relegated from the Eredivisie, he had a reasonably decent time of things, running up 25 appearances and impressing across the board.

But his time in North London was also coming to an end. The following September, he was transferred to the Portuguese side Vitória de Guimarães, and here he truly found his rhythm, making 95 appearances for them in all competitions before transferring to the Lisbon giants Sporting in February 2022. By the following September, he was playing Champions League football, and marked this by scoring an equalising goal for Sporting against Spurs in a group match.

He won the Portuguese Primeira Division in 2024, but returned to England the following January, signing for Burnley on loan. Having made 14 league appearances as the Clarets returned to the Premier League, it was confirmed that he would be signing for the club permanently. But his Premier League career at Burnley so far has almost matched what happened at Norwich. At the time of writing, he's made one league appearance for them from the bench so far this season, which lasted for nine minutes.

Marcus Edwards has had a stop-start career so far, and for Norwich supporters looking on at how things have been progressing for him since, there may well be a feeling that they could have got more from him than they did. One word that comes up a lot when reading about him is "misunderstood", and it may be that professional football doesn't have much understanding of or time for introversion as a character trait.

But that natural talent, the ability that got him compared to Lionel Messi in the first place, still exists, and it may be that he can get back to scale the earlier heights of his earlier career. It's just that it's unlikely to happen at Carrow Road, and in the unlikely event that it does, they may need more than six minutes to get the best of him.

Tottenham Hotspur loanee Ashley Phillips has not quite hit the ground running at Stoke City this season.

The 20-year-old impressed for the Potters last term, urging the club to secure another deal that would see the centre-back return to the Bet365 Stadium on loan.

Phillips has been limited to just 60 minutes of Championship football under Mark Robins during the early stages of the campaign, and Spurs may have to make a big decision about potentially recalling the youngster.

Alternative route may be best for young Spurs defender

The Welshman moved to Tottenham from Blackburn during the 2023 summer transfer window after a deal worth a reported £2 million.

Salford-born Phillips went on to make 18 appearances on loan at Plymouth Argyle during the second half of the 2023/24 season, before going out on loan again to Stoke the following term.

Phillips made his Blackburn debut at 17, and is obviously highly rated, given his 2023 move to Tottenham. Football League World's Rovers Fan Pundit Simon Middlehurst recently described the current situation as: "Really, really weird," going on to suggest that Phillips "made the wrong move."

Phillips impressed on loan at Stoke last term, making 35 Championship appearances as the Potters finished as low as 18th.

Since returning to the club, he has played just 60 minutes under Robins, while Stoke's excellent start leaves little room for Phillips to claim a starting place, with the Potters sitting in third place.

The defender is clearly talented, and Tottenham may be considering an alternative route for the defender in January, regarding another loan move that would see the defender play week in and week out.

Phillips needs game time - he may not get that at Stoke

For any young defender, game time is a necessity, and Phillips is not getting that at Stoke.

The youngster's underlying stats at Stoke last term suggest that the quality is there, and his 35 appearances match this.

In an underperforming Potter's side, Phillips blocked 1.3 shots per 90, 0.99 interceptions, and was dribbled past just twice in 3,082 minutes.

The notable areas in need of improvement are all aspects of the game that would undoubtedly come with experience and know-how. The 20-year-old won just 54.7% of his ground duels and 52.4% of his aerial duels last term.

However, with this in mind, a further run of consistent game time would only help when it comes to dealing with physical centre-forwards effectively. He most certainly has the frame, with his 6'4 stature, and experience will only add to this.

His 83.9% pass completion rate also does not tell the full story, with Stoke being far from a possession-based outfit last term.

Champions Leeds United attempted 27,267 passes, while only five sides registered a tally lower than Stoke's 19,228, with an average possession number of 46.7%. Stoke have since evolved under Robins, with the tally reaching 52.3% thus far this season - granted with a smaller sample size.

Despite the lack of minutes for Phillips in the season's early days, he still carries fantastic potential. However, he is unlikely to reach this at Stoke given the current circumstances.

A recall and subsequent move that is more suited to the youngster would be highly beneficial, and something that Spurs are likely to consider ahead of January.

Southampton will have few regrets about the way in which the club was run and how it performed in the early-to-mid-2010s, but missing out on the signing of Son Heung-min will always be quite a frustrating one for the south coast outfit.

Back in the summer of 2013, Mauricio Pochettino was embarking upon his first full season as manager of Southampton, having been controversially appointed to replace Nigel Adkins in January 2013.

Saints had finished 14th the year before but, with impressive recruitment and a continued strong youth development setup, they were determined to be ambitious and push on.

That season saw them finish eighth in the Premier League, narrowly missing out on European qualification, and continue to develop an impressive squad that saw three players, Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert, all form part of England’s 2014 FIFA World Cup summer; with Jay Rodriguez only missing out due to injury.

It was a very good season for Pochettino and for Southampton, but there may well be a wonder as to how good it could have been had they brought in Son as well.

Son Heung-min opted not to join Southampton

In March 2019, Mauricio Pochettino revealed that Southampton tried to sign Son Heung-min from Hamburg and the Argentine even went as far as to suggest the move was ‘so close.’

Having began his professional career with Hamburg and made his debut in 2010, Son had quickly begun to establish himself as a very exciting prospect in the Bundesliga, especially with a 12-goal league campaign in the 2012/13 season, alerting Saints and Bayer Leverkusen.

Pochettino said: “We were very close but in the end he was so young and his family preferred, rather than leaving Germany and the Bundesliga, to keep him there and he preferred to move to Bayer Leverkusen rather than Southampton.”

It is believed that the fee to take Son from Hamburg to the BayArena was in the region of £8 million, and that obviously would have eventually represented incredible value for Saints, had they been able to get the deal over the line for themselves.

Instead, that summer saw Southampton make just three permanent additions with Dejan Lovren, Victor Wanyama and Dani Osvaldo, who was their club-record signing, brought in from Olympique Lyonnais, Celtic and Roma respectively.

So, it appears as though Son was deemed a ‘market opportunity’ for a smartly run Saints anyway, with no other players in his position brought in if they didn’t get their main target, Son, over the line.

Son Heung-min eventually earned Bayer Leverkusen a hefty fee

Having hit double figures in the Bundesliga in successive seasons for Bayer Leverkusen, they eventually managed to cash in on the South Korea international when he moved to Tottenham Hotspur, to finally link up with Pochettino, for a fee in the region of £18 million.

Making over 100% profit on a transfer in just two years is, naturally, a positive and impressive thing and, for most clubs, they will live with regret for having missed out on that – but Southampton aren’t necessarily most clubs in that regard.

For example, a year after missing out on the signing of Son, and the potential millions to be made therein, Southampton sold the aforementioned England trio of Shaw, Lallana and Lambert to Manchester United and Liverpool respectively, with the latter two heading to Merseyside.

As well as that, they also cashed in on Lovren, with the Croatia international also moving to Anfield, whilst Calum Chambers was sold on for a hefty fee to Arsenal, too.

That sort of level of recruitment and selling on high after buying low was something that Southampton were masters at, and Son wasn’t a once in a lifetime opportunity in that regard – but it would have been intriguing to see if he could have pushed them on from eighth in the 2013/14 season, and then seventh under the management of Ronald Koeman in the following campaign, after that mini exodus.

So, in the end, Southampton may not have been harmed too much from either a football or financial perspective - and yet there will still be a feeling that there could have been something extra special had Son joined. On the cusp of European football, Saints drew far too many games to really kick on - and Son could have been their point of difference before eventually delivering them yet another sizeable profit.

Portsmouth came extremely close to striking a deal for one of England’s best midfielders of the 21st century.

In 2004, Pompey had just finished 14th in their maiden Premier League campaign and were looking to build on that success in the transfer window.

Harry Redknapp had been in charge of the Fratton Park outfit since 2002, managing them to the second-tier title in 2003 and had used his connections in the game to make some brilliant signings.

Their additions from the previous summer included the likes of Yakubu, Dejan Stefanovic and Teddy Sheringham, who all served Pompey well throughout the 2003/04 campaign.

However, there was one deal Redknapp couldn’t get over the line. If he had, it would’ve seen the club enjoy yet another phenomenal talent and could’ve resulted in a potential windfall for Portsmouth in the resulting years.

Portsmouth came bitterly close to striking Michael Carrick, West Ham deal

After West Ham United failed to achieve promotion to the Premier League in 2004, a young Michael Carrick decided it was time to pursue a move to the top-flight for himself.

Redknapp had previously managed the midfielder when he was in charge of the Hammers and wanted to use this previous connection to get a deal done for Portsmouth.

The 78-year-old revealed via a SunSport column that Carrick had met with him and Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie, with all signs pointing towards completing a deal for his services.

Redknapp stated that the two clubs had agreed a £2.4 million fee for the midfielder, and that Carrick was en route to his medical when Tottenham Hotspur swooped in.

Former Spurs owner Daniel Levy had caught wind that Redknapp wanted to recruit one of his former players and gathered that Carrick must have been a top quality prospect as a result.

From that point, the North London outfit had the upper hand over Pompey, and they subsequently signed Carrick for £2.75 million that summer.

Portsmouth lost out on massive Michael Carrick sale

In the short term, missing out on Michael Carrick would’ve hurt Portsmouth on the pitch.

Due to the quality the midfielder possesses, he would’ve controlled the tempo Pompey’s engine room and could’ve played a huge role in helping them push further up the Premier League in the following years.

However, failing to sign Carrick turned out to be a doubly bitter blow in the years that followed for another reason.

The former Middlesbrough manager made 74 appearances for Tottenham, where he began to establish himself as one of English football’s most promising midfield talents.

As always, Sir Alex Ferguson was on the prowl for the best young prospects coming through and decided that acquiring Carrick in 2006 was a wise addition to make.

Tottenham sold the midfielder for £18.7 million, which would’ve handed Portsmouth further transfer regret.

This sale may have been of great use to Pompey, allowing them to reinvest in their squad and potentially increase their competitiveness in the top-flight.

At Old Trafford, Carrick won five Premier League titles, the Champions League and the FA Cup before retiring in 2018, and has later gone on to return to the second-tier in a managerial capacity by taking charge of Middlesbrough between 2022 and 2025.

Portsmouth will always be envious of Tottenham for stealing the midfielder away from them and preventing the club from enjoying his immense talent before making a huge profit.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Former Blackburn Rovers defender Ashley Phillips is struggling for consistent game time during his loan spell at Stoke City from Tottenham Hotspur.

The 20-year-old initially signed for the Potters on a temporary basis last year, featuring 35 times in the Championship in the process.

However, Mark Robins’ side have made a strong start to the new campaign, and it has involved Phillips being on the bench.

He has come on as a substitute in three of their six fixtures in the Championship, failing to start on a single occasion.

The Welshman made the move to Spurs from Blackburn in a reported £2 million deal in the 2023 summer transfer window, but has not been able to break into the Premier League club’s first team plans.

Blackburn Rovers departure was bad advice for Ash Phillips

When asked if Phillips would be a better player had he stayed at Ewood Park, FLW’s Blackburn fan pundit, Simon Middlehurst, claimed that he should’ve continued to get first team experience with the Lancashire outfit due to their strong reputation for producing talent.

He believes the player was given bad advice, and that his decision to leave Rovers was the wrong move.

“Really, really weird situation for him,” Middlehurst told Football League World.

“He was obviously someone who had a lot of promise, making his debut at Blackburn when he was 17.

“Obviously, at that point it was always going to be the case where a big club was going to come in for him and hopefully it was going to kickstart his career from there, but for some reason it hasn’t worked out for him.

“I know that when he went on loan to Plymouth that he didn’t quite have the performances to back up the big hype behind him.

“So, if anything, he should’ve stayed at Rovers for a few more years, got a bit more first team football experience under his belt.

“Obviously, Blackburn are well known for producing young players, so it would’ve made sense for him to stay.

“But, clearly, he got advice at the time and made the wrong move.”

Stoke have made a positive start to the campaign, earning 12 points from a possible 18 to move into second in the table.

But Phillips has only been a bit-part player through this period, playing a total of just 62 minutes across his three appearances.

Meanwhile, Blackburn have earned six points from five games, which has left them 18th in the table but with a game in hand.

Tottenham Hotspur move hasn't worked for Ash Phillips

Phillips is still only 20-years-old, so there is plenty of time left in his career to turn things around and start fulfilling his potential.

However, it is clear that the move to Spurs just hasn't worked out and that he was given bad advice at the time, as a player of his age can't be expected to predict how these things will shake out in the long run.

It's unfortunate, and his lack of game time at Stoke is also a shame as it will only stunt his development, so perhaps a January switch to somewhere else could be on the cards in a bid to get him regular minutes.

Phillips' move to Spurs could perhaps act as a warning sign to other youngsters in the division that a jump up to the Premier League at a young age might not be the best step to take at that stage of their careers unless assurances can be made over game time.

Few will have seen Preston North End’s fantastic start to this Championship season coming after they finished 20th in the table in 2024/25, but the first two months of the campaign have been excellent for Paul Heckingbottom’s side.

From seven games played in the league so far, Preston have managed four impressive wins, two draws, and just the one banana skin defeat away at Portsmouth. They are fifth in the table at this point, level on points with both Leicester City and Bristol City just above them.

Lots of players in the PNE squad are enjoying stellar runs of form right now and have been key to their early success, but since the end of the September international break, the contributions of late summer loanees Alfie Devine and Lewis Dobbin, in particular, have been very hard to ignore.

After a turbulent 2024/25 campaign, Preston North End are playing well above expectations this time around

Last season was not a great one for Preston. They let one manager go after the first game, let their temporary management team go after the second game, and wound up finishing 20th after a winless April, needing a final day draw with Bristol City to keep them afloat.

Then, in the summer, the club oversaw the departure of starting goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, top Championship scorer Emil Riis, midfield terrier Ryan Ledson and promising youngster Kian Best, all for free.

With that in mind, few gave North End much a chance to compete in this season’s Championship, including BBC Radio Lancashire’s Andy Bayes, and pundits Aaron Paul and Jobi McAnuff, from the 72+ podcast.

With half the transfer window having passed, PNE had addressed their goalkeeper woes with the return of Daniel Iversen and imported League One standouts Odel Offiah and Thierry Small, among other new names. Yet, 21st in the table was as good as Paul Heckingbottom’s side were given as a prediction.

To Bayes’ credit, he did say that “the supply line to the forwards could do with supplementing”, and this analysis was made before the arrivals of Devine and Dobbin, and the deadline day loan of Harrison Armstrong from Everton, all of whom have the potential to fill that role.

Devine had arrived at Deepdale by the time Opta published their supercomputer predictions in August though, which relegated Preston 19.6% of the time – the fifth most of any team – from 10,000 simulations that were run.

Despite what the experts said in the summer, the facts are that Preston have had to contend with arguably the toughest start to 2025/26 in terms of who they’ve faced, and they’ve repeatedly smashed it out of the park.

They’ve beaten newly relegated Leicester City and Ipswich Town, became the first team in the league this season to take points away from league leaders Middlesbrough, and most recently, battered Derby County in their own backyard during the first half before showing their defensive resilience in the second to eke out maximum points.

The Lilywhites are playing to their strengths in all areas of the field – their defence has been fixed and sturdy, conceding the joint-second fewest goals of any Championship team so far; and midfield duo Ali McCann and captain Ben Whiteman are everywhere at once.

In addition, star striker Milutin Osmajic, who was valued at £15m amid summer transfer speculation, couldn’t stop scoring until getting injured just before the Pompey defeat. Most recently, Devine and Dobbin in attacking midfield have given PNE a bit of Premier League quality.

Alfie Devine and Lewis Dobbin are quickly making themselves comfortable at Deepdale

Alfie Devine came through the doors at Deepdale in early August on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, with prior EFL experience already under his belt from loan spells with Port Vale and Plymouth.

“I like to make people excited. I like to get on the ball. I like to always be involved in it and get people off their seats hopefully,” he said in an interview on the club's website.

His full debut came in Preston’s second league game of the campaign against Leicester. He opened the scoring in that 2-1 win for his new side from a tight angle after beating sweeper-keeper Jakub Stolarczyk to a loose ball just outside the penalty area. His second goal for the club came last weekend against Derby – a postage stamp strike from the edge of the box.

His drive and determination to attack the opposition was on show immediately with his first goal, and his efforts since his arrival have been recognised by the fans, with “Alfie Devine, Olé Olé” ringing out from the stands during every game in which he has featured.

No doubt this has helped Devine feel more at home at Deepdale, who told the club website after the Derby victory: “I think this is the quickest that I've ever been comfortable within a group because then it shows on the pitch when you play. That's a credit to the fans, my teammates and the staff”.

Devine’s direct attacking approach has been further complimented by another temporary PNE player, who arrived two weeks after he did – Aston Villa wide man Lewis Dobbin.

Wingers have been in short supply at Deepdale ever since the implementation of a five-back formation that has persisted since the days of Alex Neil’s managerial tenure. But when Dobbin arrived at the club, he, like Devine, told the club website: “I want to be effective in as many positions as possible on the pitch… I just want to get on the pitch and excite people.”

Exciting the fans is exactly what he has done so far, playing mostly as a second striker. It took just seven minutes for him to get off the mark in PNE colours, placing a strike in the top corner in a 3-2 defeat to Wrexham in the EFL Cup.

He followed that up with an even more impressive strike against Middlesbrough right after the international break, driving 25 yards from the edge of the centre circle to blast a strike into the top left corner from the edge of the box.

Even against former club Derby over the weekend, despite not scoring again, he was a repeated nuisance for the Rams’ backline, making difficult runs into dangerous areas and almost winning a penalty in the early stages before Devine’s goal.

These are all actions that the PNE faithful will not get sick of seeing from their players anytime soon.

Everybody wins if PNE’s great form continues – including Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa

Preston have had many memorable loanees come through their ranks who’ve gone on to great things – David Beckham, Danny Welbeck, Jordan Pickford, Anthony Gordon, Alvaro Carreras, the list goes on – but if things carry on the way they are, they might have two playing for them together right now.

Devine and Dobbin being two of the first names on Heckingbottom’s team sheet right now is great news for Spurs and Villa. Neither player has had a sniff of Premier League football for their parent clubs to this point, but their contributions in the Championship can only make the higher-ups in North London and Birmingham prick up their ears.

Potential opportunities could arise as their parent-clubs juggle ridiculous schedules. Or, their transfer fees will be flying up, and they will be sold for healthy money against a PSR backdrop.

When you consider that they are strutting their stuff so impressively for a Preston team that are currently defying expectations, that pair could end up being the ultimate winners from these successful-looking loans.

PNE won't mind, though, if the dark horse tag becomes a sustained push for the top six by the time Devine and Dobbin think about heading back to their parent-clubs.

Sheffield United and Millwall may already have started to regret missing out on Tottenham Hotspur loanee Alfie Devine, who is flying for a rival club in the Championship.

Both clubs were linked with a temporary move for the Premier League youngster, but he instead wound up at Preston North End.

He’s off to a strong start with the Lilywhites, having already opened his account from midfield by scoring twice against Leicester City and Derby County.

With Preston sitting in the play-off spots in the early stages of the Championship, thanks in no small part to Devine, and the Blades dead last in the table, the latter may well be wishing they’d got the loan move over the line.

Sheffield United and Millwall were both in for Alfie Devine this summer

According to The Mirror, both the Blades and Millwall were considering a move for the Tottenham youngster over the summer.

There was also believed to be some interest from Wrexham, but it was Preston who swooped in past their Championship rivals to land Devine.

The Blades, based on a report from The Star, were considering moves for Spurs pair Devine and Ashley Phillips, but landed neither, with the latter ending up with a temporary return move to Stoke City, who have also started the season well.

For the Yorkshire side in particular, they may be regretting the duo slipped through their fingers. The Blades likely felt that with the likes of Callum O'Hare, Ollie Arblaster, Sydie Peck and Gus Hamer at their disposal, a player like Devine, who can operate from front to back in the middle of the park, was not a priority.

What the powers-that-be at Bramall Lane maybe had not factored into that equation was the underperforming nature of the squad they'd built, along with a difficult start to the season for talisman Hamer.

The Dutchman, at this point last season, already had four goals and an assist to his name. This term, in the Championship, he has little other than four yellow cards to show for his efforts.

The Blades bad start cannot be pinned squarely on him, and he remains their best route out of their current problem, but Devine at Preston is having exactly the hit-the-ground-running campaign that United fans are used to seeing from a player like Hamer, a player who can grab a game by the scruff of the neck when the chips are down.

Millwall may have less immediate regret thanks to positive starts to the new campaign for the likes of Massimo Luongo and Luke Cundle in the middle of the park, the latter of whom already has a goal himself, whilst Will Smallbone was also signed from Southampton on deadline day - time will tell as to how he does at The Den, but he'll do well to be as impressive as Devine has been in his first few games.

Alfie Devine has hit the ground running this season for Preston North End

Having made a 15-minute cameo for Preston in the first game of the season against Queens Park Rangers, Devine required just seven minutes of his second outing, against Leicester City, to open his account for the campaign.

He added another a few games later against Derby County, becoming a key part of Paul Heckingbottom’s midfield in this early part of the season, with four starts in the club’s first six games.

The one game he missed, against Portsmouth, is so far Preston’s only league loss of the season, potentially a sign that they were missing his presence in the middle.

With the Blades having had him under consideration, and currently sitting last, with no points on the board and just one goal to their name, it would be understandable that they could be regretting not pursuing Devine further.

Preston North End may already be looking ahead to the future

In Devine’s profile on the Preston website, the club confirmed that they hold an option to buy on the midfielder following his current season-long loan.

Our Preston fan pundit, Darren Watson, believes his club should “break the bank” to action that clause, but holds doubts over whether that’s going to be possible.

“Looking at our current owner and their situation with money and how they like to put money into the club,” Watson added, “is that going to be a realistic option?

“I would love us to keep Alfie Devine because he’s only going to get better, and he’s thriving in this squad under Paul Heckingbottom, and he’s proving that game after game after game.”

Given the start he’s made to life at Preston, they will surely do all they can to try and keep him at the club, should he maintain his form.

Nevertheless, Preston have put themselves in a great position, with a nice problem to have, and one that the likes of Millwall and Sheffield United would certainly like to have.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Alfie Devine has made a strong start to life on loan at Preston North End following his summer move from Tottenham Hotspur.

The midfielder has contributed two goals from five appearances in the Championship, with Paul Heckingbottom’s side earning strong results.

The Lilywhites are aiming for a top half of the table finish this year after coming 20th in the previous campaign, narrowly avoiding relegation by just one point.

It was confirmed by the Lancashire outfit that they hold an option to buy clause as part of the loan agreement with Spurs.

Alfie Devine’s impact at Preston

When asked if the club should be breaking the bank to keep Devine, FLW’s Preston fan pundit Darren Watson claimed that it’s unrealistic to expect that from the current owners.

However, he is excited to see more of the midfielder during his time at Deepdale, particularly highlighting his partnership with Lewis Dobbin.

“What an absolute player Alfie Devine is,” Watson told Football League World.

“He showed his quality in the short time he’s been at Preston, and yes I do think Preston definitely do need to go out and break the bank.

“But, again, looking at our current owner and their situation with money and how they like to put money into the club, then is that going to be a realistic option?

“I would love us to keep Alfie Devine because he’s only going to get better and he’s thriving in this squad under Paul Heckingbottom, and he’s proving that game after game after game.

“And I can’t wait to see more of him.

“Obviously, we’ve got Bristol City at home next and hopefully he starts again.

“Him and Dobbin have worked a brilliant partnership up as well.”

Preston takeover claim

Watson believes the next owners should invest in the side by looking to keep their successful loan players, if a deal to purchase the club does happen over the course of this season.

“This takeover now, if we do get taken over, we need somebody with the money and the drive to go ‘you know what, these loan players have done well, let’s just keep them now and let’s build on this and let’s actually push for the play-offs’,” he added.

“That isn’t unrealistic, that is not an unrealistic view now play-offs.

“We’re doing well, we’re doing really, really well and I’m really excited for this team going forward.

“So, I do think Preston need to break everything they’ve got, make him our record transfer fee, we’ll have a whip around at Deepdale and we’ll get as much money as we can for the lad.

“Because, they say don’t ever fall in love with a loan player but it’s happened again.”

Preston are currently fifth in the Championship table, having earned 11 points from their opening six fixtures, leaving them only five behind leaders Middlesbrough.

Next up for Heckingbottom’s side is a home clash against Bristol City on 27 September in a 3pm kick-off.

Alfie Devine deal would be great for Preston

Devine looks like the real deal at the moment, impressing with his initial performances under Heckingbottom this season.

If he can keep this up, then he could prove a bargain signing for the cost of that buy option clause, even if it is potentially on the expensive side for Preston.

He has fit well into this team, and he has just turned 21 so he has plenty of room to still grow and develop as a player.

If Preston can’t afford the buy option under the current owners, then there will surely be a number of Championship clubs lining up to sign him instead next summer.