It’s loan season!
There’s some positive news incoming for Tottenham Hotspur, securing two encouraging loans for their youth, while trimming their squad numbers in the process:
Troy Parrott has joined Dutch Eredivisie side Excelsior Rotterdam on loan for the remainder of the 2023/24 season.
Good luck, Troy!
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 24, 2023
Alfie Devine has joined League One side Port Vale on loan for the remainder of the 2023/24 season.
Go well, Alfie!
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 25, 2023
Party Parrott is off to the Eridivisie, while Alfie Devine is heading to League One!
Troy Parrott’s destination is recently promoted Excelsior Rotterdam, who have had a solid start to the season, scoring 6 goals across their two matches thus far (including a draw this past weekend against heavyweights Ajax). If the name of the club rings a bell, it’s because talented Tottenham alum Marcus Edwards spent some time there on loan before leaving Spurs.
This is somewhat of a make-or-break loan for Parrott, after an extremely underwhelming loan at Preston North End. He’ll be competing for minutes with striker Nikolas Agrafiotis who has two in two, and if Parrott is to have any success at Spurs, he needs to show he has what it takes in a weaker league after a dramatic drop-off in performance in the English Championship. I do think the most likely outcome at this point is not a hiss and a roar, but rather, a hiss and a squawk, with him getting a middling number of minutes to increase his value before being sold on.
Alfie Devine, on the other hand, is one of Spurs’ most promising youth prospects, and a loan to League One side Port Vale almost feels beneath his level at this point. Port Vale, recently promoted like Excelsior, sit in 9th place after four matches, winning two. This is Alfie’s first loan, and as he’s pretty comfortable in multiple attacking positions, in midfield and out wide, his versatility and talent are hopefully likely to win him significant minutes sooner rather than later.
And that’s the takeaway here: big minutes for an extremely talented youth prospect who the Tottenham hierarchy hope can contribute meaningfully in future. And if not: there’s still time! Alfie is only 19, and playing time is only going to help his career. Youth development is always a crapshoot, but this loan is a good thing regardless.
Hopefully we will continue to see further outgoings in the coming days.
