Troy Parrott Could Make Spurs Rue Decision To Let Him Go | OneFootball

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Tottenham Hotspur have a crucial game ahead as tonight they are set to take on AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of the Europa League round of 16. The competition represents Spurs’ final chance to win a trophy this season and since they are currently 13th in the Premier League standings, their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League are also at stake. However, AZ star Troy Parrott will also find this game particularly meaningful since he will want to leave his mark at his former hunting ground and could well drill into Spurs why they were wrong to let him go.

The striker progressed through Tottenham’s youth system and made his debut against Colchester United in the EFL Cup third round in September 2019. Parrott, who was highly regarded at Tottenham, went on loan four times between 2020 and 2024. He performed exceptionally well with Dutch team Excelsior during his loan stint last season, contributing 22 goals in 32 appearances across all competitions. However, Ange Postecoglou was not persuaded by his performances with the Dutch team and when AZ came calling for him with a bid in the region of £7m, Tottenham did not hesitate to sell him. The 23-year-old left the English football scene to pursue a fresh start after making just four senior appearances for Tottenham Hotspur with no goal contributions to brag about.

At AZ, Parrott had big shoes to fill as he was signed as a replacement for Vangelis Pavlidis, who scored 80 goals for them in three seasons and left for Benfica in the summer. While Tottenham have struggled this season and their centre forwards Richarlison (3), Dominic Solanke (11), Dane Scarlett (1) and new boy Mathys Tel (1) have all combined to contribute 15 goals in all competitions for them, Parrott by contrast has scored 17 so far this season for AZ.

Ange Postecoglou had to bring in Tel on loan from Bayern Munich in the winter window and he decided against sending youngster Scarlett back on another loan to have more goalscoring options at his disposal. Parrott has scored 12 goals in 24 league games so far this season, outperforming his 5.0 xG while Solanke has scored seven goals in 19 league games failing to meet his 8.6 xG. The 23-year-old’s non-penalty xG per game (0.40) has been higher than Spurs stars Son Heung-min (0.27), Richarlison (0.38), Tel (0.30) and Scarlett (0.09) also this season. (Stats from Fbref)

Postecoglou could have benefitted from Parrott’s presence in his squad this season, a group who have struggled to find the back of the net, but now after eight months of his departure from Tottenham, the Irish international has a great opportunity to knock his former club out of the Europa League and clearly show them they should not have let him go.

If Parrott can terrorise Tottenham’s defence then that could raise questions over the club’s judgement in selling him. The clear criticism is that Parrott is now playing in an inferior league, but he has done it against opponents who can compare favourably to Premier League sides. Parrott has scored in the Europa League against Roma and Galatasaray, while in the Eredivisie he has also breached the defences of Ajax and Feyenoord.

It is not the first time Parrott has been to north London with AZ, as they played in the Europa League group stage fixture in October, where the Ireland international registered only one shot in a 1-0 defeat. However, Parrott was bright last week at the AFAS Stadium where his team got the better of Spurs in a 1-0 win. After the game, he blamed himself for not being able to extend the goal difference further in a clear sign of how hungry he is to do well against his former club.

Now the stage at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is set perfectly for Parrott to show what Spurs missed out on by selling him in the summer. The 23-year-old has already scored four times in the Europa League with an assist under his belt and will be determined to claim his first goal at his former club’s home ground to help AZ progress to the next round at the cost of Spurs’ silverware dream and leave north London with his head held high.

Amid a host of injuries this season, it seems clear that Spurs could have used Parrott if he was still at the club and who is to say with an extended run he might not have taken his chance? Spurs splashed millions on Mathys Tel in the winter window – would that money have needed to be spent if Parrott was still in north London. Whatever happens tonight, if Parrott keeps performing in the Netherlands, it may not be long before he is offered a route back to England.