Troy Parrott is the name on many Spurs’ and Ireland fans’ lips right now. And this season he may find himself with more opportunity to play for the first team. With Fernando Llorente’s departure and with no replacement thus far, could Parrott be in line to become Harry Kane’s back-up?
Kane has a long history of injuries. Inevitably, he seems to miss some part of the season. This could be a great chance for the Irish youngster to gain some minutes. And unlike the cameos he’s had so far, Parrott may at some point be asked to start and take up Kane’s scoring burden on a more regular basis.
Indeed, he made his first-ever start in Spurs’ shocking League Cup defeat at Colchester. He could not get amongst the goals on the night but through no fault of his own. The packed home defence was hard to break down and Parrott was limited to half chances. Not surprisingly, he did not step up to take a penalty. This was left to the senior players, who with more experience still failed to win the shootout.
On the same night, Parrott became the first Irish player to play for the first Tottenham team since a certain Robbie Keane. He has the potential to recreate the magic that Keane brought to N17. In terms of stature, Parrott is a taller figure and with less of Keane’s terrier-like speed. As for his ability to beat players and score goals, there is a similarity.
Embed from Getty ImagesParrott and Kane also share traits. Both had to follow a similar path in graduating from the academy. Kane would go on many loan spells before returning to stake his claim in the first team. Parrott has not yet gone out on loan. Instead, his future will depend on Spurs’ January transfer window. It is hard to tell where exactly the under-fire Pochettino will improve his squad. Even if the manager chooses to put his faith in Parrott, he will still only have two out-and-out strikers. Thus, investment in this area would not be surprising.
On his Ireland under-21 debut, Parrott scored in the Euro 2021 qualifier versus Armenia. He then scored two against Sweden including a sumptuous chip to help his country win 3-1. At just 17-years-old, he is already starting to develop into a potent front man.
He is making debuts for club and country, putting in solid performances and scoring goals. At Spurs, there is current turbulence which will either clear or could see wholesale changes with both the manager and New Year signings. Parrott has been named in Spurs’ Champions League squad but with the hammering at the hands of Bayern, it remains to be seen how long the 2018 finalists remain in the competition.
If the North London outfit were to bring in another striker after Christmas, it wouldn’t have to spell the end for Parrott’s growth, since he could be used in rotation. However, it would be more likely for the young Dubliner to see bit-part action off the bench. It all comes down to a question of trust and faith from the manager. Pochettino has put his reputation on the line for many young and developing players in the past. Parrot need only to look to Harry Kane to see how a budding striker can blossom given the game-time.