Spurs have their new Parrott in academy star who’s been “compared to Kane”

There has been a lot of talk about how Tottenham Hotspur made a mistake when they allowed Troy Parrott to leave the club after his international exploits.

The Irish international scored five goals in two matches for his country during the current international break, which included a last-minute goal to qualify for the World Cup qualifiers.

Parrott scored two goals in a 2-0 win over Portugal, in a match in which Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off, before scoring an extraordinary hat-trick against Hungary in their second match.

Given his goals and the importance of those goals to Ireland, the 23-year-old striker has been a hot topic in football in the last week or so.

This has raised questions over Tottenham’s decision to sell him to AZ Alkmaar for a £7m fee in the summer of 2024, after he rose through the youth ranks in north London.

“I have a big question for anyone who decided to let Troy Parrott go,” former Spurs coach Tim Sherwood said recently. “I’m not sure he got a fair chance to prove himself. He had to go to Arizona to do that.”

Why Tottenham shouldn’t be blamed for selling Troy Parrott

While Sherwood may be right that he has not been given many opportunities at Spurs, with four first-team appearances, the Lilywhites should not be blamed for taking advantage of him last year.

After returning 31 goals in 38 appearances for Tottenham at Under-18, Youth League and Under-21 level, according to Transfermarkt, the Irish striker has been given the chance to showcase his quality through 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 resulted in a £7m move to AZ Alkmaar.

As you can see in the table above, the Spurs youngster has not provided much of a consistent goal threat during his spells at Championship level with Millwall and Preston.

That’s why it’s hard to blame Tottenham, who are aiming to compete in the Premier League and in Europe, for capitalizing on Parrott, as he has not shown much potential in English football at senior level.

The Irishman, shown in the graphic above, then went on to score 20 goals in all competitions in his first season with Alkmaar, and currently has 13 goals in 14 appearances, according to Transfermarkt.

While his form for club and country at present makes it seem as though Spurs were wrong to take advantage of him, they made a logical decision based on the evidence that was available to them at the time.

Of course, you could still argue that was a mistake, because he only played four first-team games, but it is a game that those in power in north London at the moment 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 point of reference when dealing with the star who is currently struggling on loan.

Tottenham youngster Jimmy Donnelly is struggling for a loan spell with Stoke City in the Championship, but he could be the next Troy Parrott in the making.

Why Tottenham need to keep faith in Jimmy Donnelly

Donnelly has received rave reviews from many in recent years, including reporter Charlie Ecclesher.

Speaking on The Athletic podcast in early 2024, he said: “He’s not a pure striker, he’s nine-and-a-half, some have compared him to Harry Kane, and someone I spoke to a few days ago compared him to Julian Alvarez.”

But since then, Donnelly hasn’t really started his career. In a bid to help him do that, the Lilywhites have sent the 20-year-old talent on loan to Stoke City for the 2025/26 season in the hope that he will improve and gain valuable experience in the Second Division, as they did when they sent Parrott to Millwall and Preston.

However, the Northern Irish attacking midfielder has played just four times in the tournament, all off the bench, and has been an unused substitute on eight occasions in the league, according to Transfermarkt.

The on-loan Tottenham player, who set up a goal on his debut against Derby, has also failed to make the squad for their last three league games, suggesting he is not in Mark Robins’ plans.

Despite his lack of club level football for the Potters, Northern Ireland coach Michael O’Neill has maintained faith in the playmaker, as he played against Slovakia and Luxembourg during the international break.

Donnelly scored from the penalty spot against Luxembourg on Monday evening and the Northern Ireland coach described him as “the best player on the pitch” after the match.

Alongside his international performances, Tottenham must also keep faith in the 20-year-old striker due to his form on loan at Leyton Orient in the 2024/25 season.

As you can see in the table above, Donnelly performed exceptionally well at League One level last season for Leyton Orient, ranking in the top percentile among his peers in the position as a creative force in 10th place.

These stats, his form for Northern Ireland, and his return to scoring 37 goals and 30 assists in 90 appearances for Spurs at U18 and U21 level, according to Transfermarkt, suggest he has far more potential than his time at Stoke suggests.

This is why Tottenham should not let go of Donnelly due to his struggles on loan this season, as he has not been given a single start in the Championship and could have a future in north London if given a chance at Tottenham or another club on loan.

Parrott struggled on loan in the Championship and was sold to go on to do bigger things. Tottenham can learn from this by giving Donnelly the opportunities that the Irish hero did not get.

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