Second Wigan Athletic starlet flees the nest

Alfie Devine (left) has followed Jensen Weir (right) to the Premier League

Wigan Athletic have lost another of their brightest stars to the Premier League with England Under-16 midfielder Alfie Devine completing his transfer to Tottenham.

But the deal for the 15-year-old – believed to be worth in the region of £300,000 – will help to pay the bills of a club with literally no other source of income at the moment.

The transfer of Devine – voted player of the tournament recently on international duty, while playing against opponents signed to clubs including Real Madrid and Barcelona – has been expected for several weeks.

He becomes the second Academy starlet to be cherry-picked by the Premier League, after Jensen Weir’s £500,000 move to Brighton was completed last Thursday.

Forward Joe Gelhardt also continues to coveted by big clubs, with Leeds now believed to be at the head of the queue for his signature, although Tottenham, Liverpool, Everton, Leicester and Celtic are also rumoured to be keen.