Why haven’t Premier League clubs taken ‘£25-30m’ punt on Troy Parrott? Ex-Liverpool star backs fellow Irishman & Tottenham academy graduate to bag ‘12-14 goals’ after prolific Eredivisie spell

Dublin native Parrott made his senior breakthrough with Spurs in 2019, gracing Carabao Cup and Premier League fixtures, but spent much of the next four seasons out on loan at Millwall, Ipswich, MK Dons, Preston North End and Excelsior.

On the back of netting 17 times in the Netherlands across the 2023-24 campaign, a permanent move was made to Alkmaar in the summer of 2024. He cost just £6.7m ($9m) at that stage, but is now worth considerably more.

That is because the target has been found on 51 occasions for AZ through 97 appearances. A talismanic role has also been taken on with Ireland - as he netted a history-making hat-trick for the Boys in Green away in Hungary during 2026 World Cup qualification, a matter a days after bagging a brace against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

Transfer speculation has raged from that point, but no deal has been done. Several teams in England have been credited with interest, along with a few in Spain and Italy, but it remains to be seen what the immediate future holds.

Quizzed on whether a team in the Premier League should have taken a calculated gamble on Parrott by now, especially those that are in need of goals after stepping up into the big time, ex-Ireland international Houghton - who was speaking to GOAL via Covers, which lists current offers such as a Kalshi promo code - said: “I've got to be honest with you, I thought he'd have been gone by now. I think after what he's done in Holland, what he's done for Ireland, there have been a few clubs looking at him.

“One thing you would say about him is he's been through the ringer. If you look at what's happened to him for this starlet that was coming up, he was going to be this, that and the other. Then he was farmed out on loan. Things weren't going well for him.

“He reinvented himself over in Holland. To do what he's done, to come through it in the manner that he has, he didn't have two or three years ago, but he has now because he's had to grow up. In many respects, he's gone from a protege, a young kid, to a man now. That's how I see it. He's really grown up.

“He loves the game. He wants to be a success. So I'm surprised there hasn't been more talk about him. I know there was a story about West Ham. I don't know what happened and it fell through in some respects.

“Some of the teams that are lower down in the Premier League, if you like. I'm quite surprised that none of them have had a little nibble at it. I don't know what the fee is, but even if you got him at £25-30 million and he bagged you 12-14 goals, that might be enough to keep you up.

“That would be a good thing to do because I think this season is going to be really tough for a lot of sides. I see a lot of averageness - it's averaging out, the league, a little bit more. I think there's two or three teams at the top. But after that, there’s a lot of sides that could beat the others at the moment.

“But you need goalscorers, you need someone that can put the ball in the back of the net, and that's what Troy's done.”

Parrott’s contract at AZ still has three years left to run, meaning that they are under no immediate pressure to part with a prized asset. They will, understandably, be holding out for the highest possible fee.

There has been talk of interest from Real Betis in La Liga, but it could be that a team from the Premier League makes a late play for the 24-year-old striker before the next deadline passes on September 1.