The young Irish striker is reaching new heights since leaving Tottenham Hotspur and that culminated in silverware on Sunday
A long list of players have left Tottenham and won silverware but Troy Parrott’s KNVB Cup triumph with AZ Alkmaar will have felt all the sweeter during a remarkable season as he continues to prove himself.
Parrott, who turned 24 a couple of months ago, left Spurs in the summer of 2024 to join AZ in a £6.7million deal with the north London club inserting a 20 per cent sell-on clause into the transfer. The young Irishman never really got much of a chance at Tottenham, playing just four competitive first team games and shipped out on loan to MK Dons, Preston, Ipswich and Millwall before a spell at Dutch side Excelsior Rotterdam opened the door to what came next for him.
Although the club eventually succumbed to relegation, Parrott gave them every chance of staying up with 17 goals and five assists for the strugglers.
With big Dutch sides and other European clubs sniffing around the Republic of Ireland international, Spurs decided to cash in rather than bring Parrott back into the fold. football.london had long reported that Parrott’s hope had always been to break through at Spurs but it was not to be.
That Tottenham decision ended up being AZ’s gain. His first season brought 20 goals and five assists in 47 games, including setting up a goal against Tottenham in the Europa League as the Dutch side reached the last 16 before finally succumbing to the north London outfit despite a first leg home win.
Parrott’s first season at Alkmaar was just the appetiser though. Parrott’s icing-on-the-cake goal in added time on Sunday not only meant a 5-1 scoreline against NEC in the cup final but it was his 30th goal of the season, along with 11 assists. One of those came in the final for Peer Koopmeiners’ strike to make it 3-0 to AZ with 15 minutes to go.
Parrott’s last-gasp goal was all about composure as he took down a looping deflected shot on his chest, cut inside and hit a powerful effort that pinballed between a couple of defenders and past the goalkeeper. The goal sparked wild scenes, Parrott ripping his shirt off and leaping into the section in front of the AZ fans before simply standing in front of them, his arms held aloft.
Those supporters know it is going to be difficult to keep their goalscoring talisman this summer despite his affection for them and the club. His six goals in three games for Ireland during their World Cup qualifiers, including two against Portugal, means 47 goal involvements already this season for club and country and there is every chance he will break 50 for the campaign.
Big clubs across Europe are circling. football.london understands Italian sides including Napoli have interest, as do Real Betis in Spain, Bayern Leverkusen in Germany and Ajax in the Eredivisie.
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Parrott has proved his worth after being jettisoned by Spurs and the north London club could do a lot worse than looking at bringing him back home, especially with that 20 per cent discount and his value estimated to be around 25m euros (£21.7million) this summer.
The Irishman does fit Roberto De Zerbi’s brand of football. The prolific goalscorer is an energetic presser and counter-presser, with strong ball-winning stats and he has grown strong in possession as he has developed over recent seasons. The stats show that his goal threat and the quality of his shots are better than more than 80% of Europe’s strikers.
After joining Spurs’ academy at 16, he was considered one of the best finishers at the club, even during Harry Kane’s time. The goals now show that with Sunday’s strike his 50th for AZ in 92 matches, along with 16 assists. Parrott studied Kane at close range in training sessions and his ability to both score and create show that he has learned plenty.
Tottenham could go down this season. It’s understood Parrott would love to return to a club he loved, regardless of their top flight status. The young striker was always desperate to be a success for Spurs and distance has not changed that.
Other Premier League clubs have also shown interest in him but firing the Lilywhites back to life would mean more. He is also a rarity in that he remains a club-trained player for the north London side.
Tottenham’s recent recruitment has been all over the place and for a club that rarely goes back to those they cast aside, Troy Parrott could be the one who should never have got away but was brought home.
