Sold for €7M: Former striker now scores four goals in 9-1 damage of Robin van Persie’s side
Harry Kane isn’t the only former Tottenham player making headlines in Europe.
When Kane left for Bayern Munich last summer, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou had to quickly search for a replacement, especially a star striker to fill the void left by the club’s all-time top scorer.
Despite spending heavily during that transfer window, Tottenham didn’t sign a traditional number nine. Instead, they relied on Heung-min Son and Richarlison to take up the central attacking role throughout the season.
A year later, Spurs broke their club record to bring in Dominic Solanke as the new striker. Solanke, signed from Bournemouth, was expected to fill the void and provide the necessary firepower.
However, after getting injured in his debut match, he is now working towards regaining his place in the squad, particularly for the highly anticipated North London derby against Arsenal.
While Tottenham’s search for a new number nine was delayed, they had another striker within their ranks that could have been an option.
Instead, they chose to loan him out and ultimately sell him during the summer transfer window.
Troy Parrott, a striker once tipped for greatness at Tottenham, had high expectations placed on him when he first emerged as a teenager.
Despite the early promise, Parrott struggled to make an impact in the first team, managing only four senior appearances without scoring a goal.
The Republic of Ireland international was eventually loaned out to gain experience. His breakthrough came last season during a loan spell with Excelsior Rotterdam in the Dutch Eredivisie, where he scored 17 goals, making a name for himself in the top tier of Dutch football.
This impressive performance led to a £7 million move to AZ Alkmaar, a club known for developing young talent.
Parrott, however, had been waiting for his first goal for the club, going four matches without finding the back of the net.
That all changed in spectacular fashion on Saturday when he opened his account with AZ Alkmaar in an unforgettable manner.
Playing against Heerenveen, a team managed by Premier League legend Robin van Persie, Parrott announced his arrival in style.
Troy Parrott scored four goals for AZ Alkmaar in their 9-0 demolition of Heerenveen, with seven of those goals coming in the second half.
Parrott got off the mark in the 23rd minute, then followed up with three more goals in just eight minutes during the second half.
His four-goal haul earned him the Man of the Match award, and the former Spurs player couldn’t hide his joy, smiling ear to ear as he received the accolade.
While Parrott’s performance in the Netherlands may raise some eyebrows among Tottenham fans, the decision to sell him seems justified given his earlier struggles.
There was genuine hope that Parrott could have been a worthy understudy to Harry Kane during his time at Spurs.
However, loan spells in England’s lower leagues failed to produce the desired results, and the club ultimately decided to move on from the Irishman.
Despite those difficulties, Parrott has now found his form in Holland, thriving in a league that suits his style of play.
AZ Alkmaar, with Parrott in their ranks, is currently second in the Eredivisie standings, having won four of their first five matches of the season.
His resurgence comes at a time when Tottenham is rebuilding and adjusting to life after Kane, but it appears the move to the Netherlands has provided Parrott with the opportunity he needed to rediscover his confidence and goal-scoring touch.
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