Spurs have their new star Parrott at the academy who has been ‘compared to Kane’

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

The Ireland international has scored five goals in two games for his country during the current international break, including a late strike to qualify for the World Cup play-offs.

Parrott scored twice 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 his second match.

Given his goal production and the importance of those goals to Ireland, the 23-year-old center forward has been a hot topic in football over the past week.

This has led some to question Tottenham’s decision to sell him to AZ Alkmaar for a reported £7m in the summer of 2024, after he came through the north London youth ranks.

Former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood recently said: “I have a big question for everyone who decided to let Troy Parrott go. I’m not sure he had a good opportunity to prove himself, he had to go to Arizona to do it.”

Why Spurs shouldn’t be blamed for selling Troy Parrott

While Sherwood may be right that he hasn’t had many opportunities at Spurs, with four first-team appearances, the Lilywhites shouldn’t be blamed for taking advantage of him last year.

Following a return of 31 goals in 38 games for Spurs at U18, Youth League and U21 level, according to Transfermarkt, the Irish shot-stopper was given the opportunity to demonstrate his quality during a series of loan spells.

Unfortunately, Parrott largely struggled with domestic loans in League One and the Championship before enjoying a strong spell with Excelsior in the Netherlands, leading to his £7 million move to AZ Alkmaar.

As you can see in the table above, the Spurs youngster hasn’t offered much of a consistent goal threat during his two spells at Championship level with Millwall and Preston.

That’s why it’s hard to blame Tottenham, who are aiming to compete at the top of the Premier League and Europe, for taking advantage of Parrott, as he hadn’t shown much potential in English football at senior level.

The Irishman, as the graphic above shows, went on to score a career-high 20 goals in all competitions in his first season with AZ Alkmaar, and currently has 13 goals in 14 matches, according to Transfermarkt.

Although his current form for club and country makes it seem like Tottenham were wrong to take advantage of him, they made a decision that made sense based on the evidence they had 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’s a mistake that those in power in north London today can use as a learning experience for the future.

With that 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 a star who is currently struggling to secure a loan move.

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 must keep faith in Jamie Donley

Donley has received rave reviews from many people in recent years, including from journalist Charlie Eccleshare.

Speaking on a podcast for The Athletic 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 the other day compared him to Julian Alvarez.”

Since then, however, Donley hasn’t really gotten going. In a bid to help him do just that, the Lilywhites loaned the 20-year-old talent to Stoke for the 2025/26 campaign in the hope that he would 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 only played four times in the league, all off the bench, and has been an unused substitute on eight occasions in the league, according to Transfermarkt.

The Spurs loanee, who assisted a goal on his debut against Derby, has also failed to make the matchday squad in his last three league matches, suggesting he is not part of Mark Robins’ plans.

Despite his lack of club game time with the Potters, Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill has retained faith in the playmaker, having featured 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 match.

Alongside his international performances, Spurs should also keep faith in the 20-year-old striker due to his form on loan at Leyton Orient during the 2024/25 campaign.

As you can see from the table above, Donley was an outstanding performer at League One level last season with Leyton Orient, ranking in the top percentile of his peers as a creative force at tenth position.

Those stats, his form for Northern Ireland and his return of 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 give up on Donley due to his loan struggles this season, as he has not been given a single league start and could still have a future in north London if given a chance at Spurs or another club on loan.

Parrott struggled on loan during the Championship and was sold to pursue bigger things. Tottenham can learn from this by giving Donley chances the Irish hero didn’t get.

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