There has been a lot of talk about how Tottenham Hotspur supposedly messed up when they allowed Troy Parrott to leave the club after his international heroics.
The Ireland international scored five goals in two games for his country during the current international break, which included a last-gasp goal to qualify for the World Cup play-offs.
Parrott struck twice in a 2-0 win over Portugal, in a game that Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off in, before netting an extraordinary hat-trick against Hungary in their second match.
Given his goal output and the importance of those goals to Ireland, the 23-year-old centre-forward has been a hot topic in football in the last week or so.
That has made some question Tottenham’s decision to sell him to AZ Alkmaar for a reported fee of £7m in the summer of 2024, after he came up through the youth ranks in North London.
Former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood recently said said: “I’ve got a big question for anyone who decided to let Troy Parrott go. I’m not sure he had a fair opportunity to prove himself, he’s had to go to AZ to do that.”
Why Spurs should not be blamed for selling Troy Parrott
Whilst Sherwood may be right that he did not get much of an opportunity at Spurs, with four first-team appearances, the Lilywhites should not be blamed for cashing in on him last year.
After a return of 31 goals in 38 games for Spurs at U18, Youth League, and U21 level, per Transfermarkt, the Irish marksman was given a chance to showcase his quality over a series of loans.
Unfortunately, Parrott largely struggled in his domestic loans in League One and the Championship before enjoying a strong spell with Excelsior in the Netherlands, which led to his £7m move to AZ Alkmaar.
Excelsior (23/24)
32
17
Preston (22/23)
34
4
MK Dons (21/22)
47
10
Ipswich (20/21)
18
2
Millwall (20/21)
14
0
As you can see in the table above, the Spurs youngster did not offer much of a regular goal threat in his two spells at Championship level with Millwall and Preston.
That is why it is hard to blame Tottenham, who aim to compete at the top end of the Premier League and in Europe, for cashing in on Parrott, as he had not shown much potential in English football at senior level.
The Irishman, as shown in the graphic above, then went on to hit a career-high 20 goals in all competitions in his first season with AZ Alkmaar, and currently has 13 goals in 14 matches, per Transfermarkt.
Whilst his form for club and country in the present day makes it look like Tottenham were wrong to cash in on him, they made a decision that did make sense on the evidence that they had available to them at the time.
Of course, you can still argue that it was a mistake, as he only played four matches for the first-team, but it is one that those in power in North London in the present day can use as a learning experience moving forward.
With this in mind, current first-team manager Thomas Frank, who was not at the club when Parrott was sold, should use the Irishman’s situation as a reference point when dealing with a star who is currently struggling out on loan.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
Spurs youngster Jamie Donley is struggling to get a game on loan with Stoke City in the Championship, but he could be the next Troy Parrott in the making.
Why Spurs need to keep their faith with Jamie Donley
Donley has been earning rave reviews from many in recent years, including from reporter Charlie Eccleshare.
Speaking on a podcast for The Athletic in early 2024, he said: “He’s not a pure striker, he’s a nine and a half, some have compared him to Harry Kane, and someone I spoke to the other day compared him to Julian Alvarez.”
Since then, however, Donley has not really kicked on. In a bid to help him to do just that, the Lilywhites sent the 20-year-old talent on loan to Stoke for the 2025/26 campaign in the hope that he would improve and gain valuable experience in the second tier, as they did when they sent Parrott to Millwall and Preston.
However, the Northern Irish attacking midfielder has only played four times in the Championship, all off the bench, and has been an unused substitute on eight occasions in the league, per Transfermarkt.
The Spurs loanee, who assisted a goal on his debut against Derby, has also failed to make the matchday squad for their last three league matches, which suggests that he is not in Mark Robins’ plans.
Despite his lack of game time at club level with the Potters, Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill has kept faith in the playmaker, as he played against Slovakia and Luxembourg during the international break.
Donley scored from the penalty spot against Luxembourg on Monday night and was described as the “best player on the pitch” by the Northern Ireland manager after the game.
Along with his international performances, Spurs should also keep faith in the 20-year-old attacker because of his form on loan at Leyton Orient in the 2024/25 campaign.
xG
4.05
Top 22%
Goals
8
Top 9%
xA
6.39
Top 1%
Chances created
62
Top 1%
Assists
10
Top 1%
Accurate long passes
60
Top 3%
Successful dribbles
28
Top 16%
As you can see in the table above, Donley was an exceptional performer at League One level last season with Leyton Orient, ranking in the top percentile of his positional peers as a creative force in the number ten position.
These statistics, his form for Northern Ireland, and his return of 37 goals and 30 assists in 90 matches for Spurs at U18 and U21 level, per Transfermarkt, suggest that he has far more potential than his stint at Stoke suggests.
This is why Tottenham should not give up on Donley because of his struggles out on loan this season, as he has not been given a single start in the Championship and could still have a future in North London if given a chance at Spurs or at another club on loan.
Parrott struggled out on loan in the Championship and was sold to go on to greater things. Tottenham can learn from that by providing Donley with the chances that the Ireland hero did not get.
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