Premier League
Premier League Clubs May Be Missing a Trick With Troy Parrott as Ireland Star's Next Move Takes Shape
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Troy Parrott's remarkable rise at AZ Alkmaar has left former Liverpool midfielder Ray Houghton asking a simple question: why has no Premier League club taken a serious gamble on the Republic of Ireland striker yet?
Parrott, 24, has transformed his career in the Netherlands after struggling to establish himself during his Tottenham years.
He scored 31 goals in 48 appearances across all competitions in 2025/26, including 16 in the Eredivisie, while his form for Ireland has further raised his profile.
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Yet despite reported interest from several clubs, a Premier League move has not materialised.
Houghton believes that could be a missed opportunity.
Parrott's career has taken a remarkable turn
There was a time when Parrott's Tottenham career appeared to be heading towards the big things expected of him as a highly rated academy prospect.
Instead, he endured a succession of loan spells at clubs including Millwall, Ipswich Town, MK Dons, Preston North End and Excelsior before leaving Spurs permanently for AZ in 2024.
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That move changed everything.
After scoring 17 goals for Excelsior during the 2023/24 campaign, Parrott joined AZ for a reported £6.7 million. He has since developed into one of the Eredivisie's most productive forwards.
His AZ record now stands at 51 goals in 97 appearances, according to the latest reporting.
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The player who once struggled to find a permanent home has become a valuable transfer target.
Houghton believes Parrott could surprise in England
Houghton is particularly intrigued by what Parrott could produce in the Premier League.
The former Ireland international believes a club spending somewhere in the £25m–£30m range could potentially get a striker capable of scoring around 12 to 14 league goals.
That would not necessarily make Parrott an elite Premier League striker overnight.
But for a club fighting for survival or looking for an affordable goalscorer, Houghton's argument is that the potential reward could outweigh the risk.
Parrott has already demonstrated that he can score consistently in the Netherlands.
More importantly, he has done so after being forced to rebuild his career rather than being handed a guaranteed route into senior football.
The Ireland striker is no longer the same player Spurs let go
That development may be the most important part of Parrott's story.
His early career was defined by potential.
His recent career has been defined by production.
Parrott has also become increasingly influential for Ireland.
He scored a historic hat-trick against Hungary during World Cup qualifying after previously scoring twice against Portugal, further strengthening his reputation on the international stage.
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Houghton believes those experiences have helped Parrott mature.
Rather than the teenage prospect Tottenham once hoped would develop into a star, he is now a 24-year-old forward with experience of setbacks, different leagues and international football.
That could make his next move considerably more important.
So why hasn't a Premier League club made the move?
There are several possible explanations.
The first is risk.
Parrott's numbers are impressive, but the Eredivisie is not the Premier League. A club spending £25m or more would still be taking a calculated gamble on whether his goalscoring translates to English top-flight football.
There is also the player's own preference to consider.
Parrott recently indicated that he would be open to continuing his career in continental Europe rather than automatically prioritising a Premier League return.
[Tribal Football]
That could explain why interest from outside England has become increasingly significant.
Real Betis have reportedly emerged as one of the leading contenders, while clubs including Fulham have also been linked with the striker.
Parrott's next move could finally answer the big question
The intriguing part of Parrott's story is that his Premier League potential remains largely untested.
He has already conquered the challenge of rebuilding his reputation in the Netherlands.
Now comes the difficult decision.
Does he return to England and attempt to prove that his goalscoring ability can translate to the Premier League?
Or does he choose a European club where he could have a clearer route to regular football and potentially Champions League competition?
For Houghton, the answer is obvious: someone in England should have taken the gamble already.
Whether a Premier League club eventually agrees with him could determine the next chapter of one of Irish football's most interesting modern redemption stories.
Comments (1)
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Anonymous
8/18/2026 at 04:30 PM
Wow