Southampton, off the back of their now-infamous 'spygate' scandal, set out to put the incident behind them over the summer by focusing on rebuilding their squad, and may well have avoided a big transfer blunder in the process.

It's well-known that Southampton were expelled from the Championship play-offs last campaign after being found guilty of spying on opponents, as now, with the club and head coach Tonda Eckert facing the repercussions of their actions, they are looking to move forward.

The summer window saw the likes of Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Shea Charles, Ross Stewart, and Cameron Archer leave the club, whilst the likes of Daniel Peretz, Lewis Dobbin, Cyle Larin, James Ward-Prowse, and Keven Schlotterbeck join on permanent deals.

Eckert has further stamped his authority on the Southampton squad in his first summer window at the helm, and whilst not all of these additions have yet proven to be big hits, they have avoided one that surely wouldn't have been.

Southampton, Celtic, and Wolverhampton Wanderers were all interested in Alfie Devine

As Southampton looked to prepare their squad for the upcoming campaign, midifeld was viewed as an area that could do with some improvement, especially after Shea Charles and Oriol Romeu's departure, with a couple of more bodies needed.

Finn Azaz was also the only obvious attacking midfielder in the squad entering the new campaign, as Eckert outlined this as an area to be looked at, as according to Alan Nixon's Patreon, the Saints, Celtic, and Wolverhampton Wanderers each held an interest in Tottenham Hotspur's Alfie Devine.

Devine, 22, had come through the ranks at Wigan Athletic and Spurs, making just two senior appearances for the latter before spending time out on loan with the likes of Port Vale, Plymouth Argyle, Westerlo, and Preston North End.

With the Lilywhites, Devine scored eight and assisted seven from midfield under Paul Heckingbottom in 45 Championship appearances across the 2025/26 season, and announced himself as one of the best younger players in the division, as Southampton weighed up another former Preston player in the meantime.

Preston North End completed a club-record £6 million deal to sign Alfie Devine from Tottenham Hotspur

Despite interest from Southampton, Celtic, and Wolves, Devine opted to return to Deepdale in a club-record £6 million deal, eclipsing their reported previous record of around £2 million for Portsmouth's Callum Lang and then some.

With Devine off the table, Southampton switched their attentions to another former Preston loanee in the form of Lewis Dobbin, completing a deal worth around £9 million with Aston Villa for the forward instead of Devine.

Whilst Dobbin has struggled to set the world alight at St Mary's thus far, Devine hasn't fared much better since returning to Lancashire permanently.

Alfie Devine has so far struggled to justify his lucrative fee amid Preston North End's struggles

Upon his club-record move to Deepdale, Devine has struggled to justify his fee as yet, having struggled to step up to the fore amid Preston's struggles both on and off the pitch.

Sitting rock-bottom of the Championship after 12 games with just five points, it's a far from ideal position Preston find themselves in, and if things don't turn around sooner rather than later, they could be cut adrift from the rest of the division.

Paul Heckingbottom has already lost his job, and the appointment of Graham Alexander has yet to go to plan, as Devine has contributed just one goal in 12 league games thus far.

For a club-record signing, the Lilywhites would have certainly hoped for more at this stage from Devine, though at 22, it is a huge task to ask from the midfielder.

Despite this, there is little time for sentiment in football, and Devine must make significant strides in justifying that fee before too long, otherwise, he will look like an expensive mistake for Preston.

What have you made of Alfie Devine's time with Preston so far? Have Southampton, Celtic, and Wolves dodged a bullet with this one? Share your thoughts below!

Southampton, Celtic, and Wolverhampton Wanderers may have dodged a £6 million transfer budget regarding Alfie Devine

With Devine struggling to live up to his transfer fee right now, each of Southampton, Celtic, and Wolves may well feel as though they have dodged a bullet when it comes to this one.

Of course, penning a five-year deal and still only 22, time is firmly on Devine's side, and any success Preston have this campaign will likely revolve around him.

However, if he is unable to carry the Lilywhites out of this mess, then there would be legitimate doubts about how he would have performed elsewhere, as the three aforementioned clubs will be breathing sighs of relief right now.