A plan is being put into place for Troy Parrott to make the breakthrough at Tottenham in the 2023/24 season after another big campaign out on loan, football.london understands.
The Republic of Ireland international has come on leaps and bounds in the past six months and there is a growing excitement within Spurs and from those who have been working with the player about how just far Parrott, who turned 20 in February, can now push himself in realising his remarkable potential.
Midway through last season on loan at MK Dons, by his own admission, something clicked for the Irishman and he understood exactly what was required to be more than just a youngster with potential. The striker became a key man in the club's run to the League One play-offs, scoring 10 goals and laying on seven assists in 47 matches and on the international stage Parrott has grown as well, netting twice and providing one assist in his past three matches.
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As a young player away from home, Parrott benefited hugely from having his family flown over to live with him in Milton Keynes last season, having spent previous loan spells at Millwall and Ipswich as a teenager on his own during the pandemic, and the difference was there for all to see on the pitch in the happy and rapidly maturing forward, who had made his Premier League debut at just 17.
At MK Dons, Parrott played mainly as a number 10 - hence his more balanced goal and assist stats - and the plan going forward is for him to develop more as the number nine he is expected to be. Those who have coached the youngster at Tottenham have noted the similarities in style between Parrott and Harry Kane, with both able to drop deep and create but also able to finish with clinical ease inside the box. Two years battling in the Football League has also helped strengthen and bulk up Parrott, which in turn has helped improve his hold-up play, a key facet of a number nine.
So what next for the young attacker? football.london understands that Parrott's own plan is to spend another season out on loan before returning to really challenge for a place in the first team squad at Spurs in the 2023/24 season. The youngster is understood to be desperate to make his mark at the club that brought him over to England in 2017.
That plan is shared by Tottenham and while he may get a chance to finally impress Antonio Conte in pre-season and could head out on the club's tour to Korea, the intention is to pick the perfect loan move to continue his progression with plenty of game time as a number nine. A long line of Championship clubs are believed to be interested in taking him, including Swansea, Middlesbrough, Preston and QPR.
Parrott's current deal with Spurs runs until the summer of 2023 but football.london understands there is an option within that contract for the club to extend it by a further year.
When the Republic of Ireland international returns to Tottenham in the summer of 2023, Kane will be turning 30 and Son Heung-min 31. The club is expected to sign a new striker to their ranks this summer but Parrott, if he impresses once again this coming season on loan, will also have a chance to stake his claim as the future of Spurs' attacking hopes.
The talent is there and the maturity is now allied to it, with the youngster admitting the mantra that "you should train how you play" has been one of the biggest lightbulb moments for him in the past 12 months.
The improved work rate has been the biggest addition to Parrott's skill, with his MK Dons boss Liam Manning saying towards the end of the season: "[Troy] has progressively got better. He's desperate to score, but he puts the team first. He needs to keep pushing himself, but the biggest thing is what he does for the team. His work-rate out of possession, his threats, his movement - he's in a good spot and we have to keep him there, keep pushing him and making sure he maintains his level."
The excitement is growing again around Parrott and he will return to Hotspur Way next month a far more confident and developed young striker. He will get another experience of Championship life and regular football next season before returning to try to fulfil his dream of becoming a star at Tottenham Hotspur.
