View: Troy Parrott looks to prove Tottenham point at Excelsior
Tottenham striker Troy Parrott is spending the season on loan in the Eredivisie with Excelsior and he recently scored a stunner for the club during his third appearance in their colours.
Things haven’t quite worked out for Parrott at Spurs so far. The 21-year-old was once regarded as an exciting prospect at Hotspur Way but with his 22nd birthday just a matter of months away, it now feels like make or break for the Republic of Ireland international.
He spent the season on loan with Preston in the Championship last term but struggled for form, scoring just four goals in 34 appearances for the club. This season, he has been sent abroad, joining Dutch outfit Excelsior on loan.
Many at the club will be hopeful a fresh challenge in a new country can inspire some form from the young striker, and the very early signs are that the move may prove beneficial for all involved.
He has so far made three appearances off the bench, coming on for four minutes during a 2-2 draw with Fortuna Sittard on 26 August, before playing 19 minutes during a 0-0 draw with Almere City on 17 September. While his limited time on the pitch during these matches prevented him from making much of an impact, his most recent appearance proved to be a successful one.
Once again, he entered the action late in proceedings, coming on in the 73rd minute with his side already 2-0 up away at Heerenveen on Saturday (23 September), but this time he took his chance and scored an absolute stunner.
He picked up the ball on the edge of the box, as seen in the image above, and lashed a powerful strike into the top right-hand corner from range.
It flew past the keeper, who was left flat-footed and with no chance of making the save.
This goal will do Parrott’s confidence the world of good, and hopefully earn him some more opportunities to start for Excelsior in the coming games. It is clear that he is still a player who possesses plenty of talent, despite not yet breaking into the first-team picture at Spurs, and he will be desperate to showcase that.
It took a certain Harry Kane – who went on to become Spurs’ all-time top goal scorer – multiple loans until he broke through, and Parrott will be hoping that he still has time to follow a similar path.
His four goals at senior international level demonstrate that he is a capable finisher, he just needs the chance and run of consistent games to prove this. Hopefully, he gets this while out in the Netherlands and returns to Tottenham a much more complete player.
In other Tottenham news, Ange Postecoglou has set out the timeline for some key players’ returns from injury.