Alfie Dorrington wants to follow in the footsteps of Tottenham team-mate James Maddison and use Aberdeen as a launchpad.
The young defender has joined Jimmy Thelin’s side on loan for the rest of the season and will be joined by Danish defender Alexander Jensen in a £650,000 move from Brommapojkarna. Maddison had a loan spell from Norwich City at Aberdeen and then returned to the Canaries, moved to Leicester City and Spurs and has never looked back.
Dorrington said: “I did my research and saw James Maddison come here, the impact he had was amazing. I’ve seen his goal against Rangers, it was a great strike. Coming here gave him the platform to perform on the highest level possible, it was a stepping stone that put his name on the map.”
Dorrington revealed that Jimmy Thelin was on the phone selling Aberdeen to him as he prepared for Tottenham Hotspur’s weekend FA Cup clash with Tamworth.
His persistence paid off as the young defender, who has already made his Spurs debut and trained with the likes of Son and former captain Harry Kane, signed a loan deal with the Dons and subject to international clearance is expected to go straight into the squad for Wednesday’s trip to Rangers.
The 19-year-old, who has already played for the Spurs first-team, said: “I spoke to the boss the night before our game on Sunday when I was in the hotel.
“I’ve known about for about a week, my agent phoned me to say Aberdeen wanted me. The manager told me he fully believes in me, he wants me to be brave and help make this first experience of men’s football a good one for me.
“I want to play and repay the faith he’s shown in me. It’s good to come in early because you develop the relationship with players and get to know what everyone is about. “
The trip to Rangers won’t faze Dorrington because he had experience at Ibrox thanks to Tottenham’s recent Europa League visit. Dorrington added: “I was on the bench at Ibrox last month, that was my first taste of Scottish football and I can’t wait to get going now.
“I believe the way he wants to play will suit my style and he just wants this to be the best part of my career. It’s my first loan so I want to start as many games as I can, work hard and I hope I can repay the faith the manager has shown in me.”