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Tottenham fans are questioning whether they missed out on their chance to retain forward Troy Parrott, who left for AZ Alkmaar and then moved to Real Betis this summer. Parrott has scored 51 goals in 97 appearances for AZ and is now flourishing at Betis with notable performances against Real Madrid and Lille. Meanwhile, Tottenham has struggled to score, leading some supporters to wonder if they should have kept Parrott or explored other options like signing Adam Lankshear from Middlesbrough, who scored eight goals in his first 11 appearances there.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Tottenham Hotspur may have missed out on a potential star striker after letting Joshua King Parrott leave in 2024. Parrott, who came through Tottenham's youth ranks and made his senior debut under Mauricio Pochettino, struggled for opportunities there. He moved to AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands, where he scored an impressive 51 goals in 97 appearances, before joining Real Betis this summer. Now flourishing at Real Betis with strong praise from his manager, some Spurs fans are wondering if they made a mistake by not retaining Parrott. Meanwhile, Tottenham's current poor form—scoring just two goals in their opening five league games this season—has highlighted the club’s need for a reliable striker like Parrott could have been.
Written for “Tottenham Football Transfers” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 57472 · logged 2026-10-05
The Real Betis forward, who drew adulation for his sublime solo goal against Austria last week, has not had a straightforward journey to the top but is now beginning to prove that he has what it takes to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Robbie Keane and John Aldridge as Ireland’s leading man.
asserted
it → draw → man
Parrott came through the ranks at Tottenham, was handed his senior debut by Mauricio Pochettino, and later his Premier League debut under Jose Mourinho.
asserted
Parrott → come → Mourinho
Parrott eventually left England for Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in 2024 in an effort to take ownership of a career that had slowly begun to drift after a succession of unsuccessful loan spells in the lower tiers.
asserted
that → leave → tiers
Parrott bet big on his ability, and it paid off as he scored 51 goals in 97 appearances for AZ before making the move to Real Betis this summer.
asserted
he → bet → Betis
The 24-year-old is flourishing, described by Hallgrimsson as having a “special gift” in front of goal, and it has left some Spurs fans wondering if Parrott is the one that got away.
asserted
that → flourish → fans
The England captain, who netted 61 times across all competitions last season, has gone from strength to strength while Spurs have continued to lose goals from their team, with Heung-min Son and 2024/25 top scorer Brennan Johnson also leaving north London.
asserted
Son → net → London
While there will be a tinge of regret in letting Parrott leave, hindsight is a wonderful thing
It is hard to see how Parrott would not make an impact for a Spurs side that has scored just two goals in their opening five league games this season.
asserted
that → let → games
However, a return to England was on the cards for Parrott this summer in the form of a proposed move to West Ham.
asserted
return → propose → Ham
Yet he turned it down, opting instead to test himself in Spain’s top-flight.
asserted
he → turn → flight
Read More
His highlights so far include a late winner against Real Madrid and the goal that sealed Betis’ 3-2 victory over Lille in their first Champions League game for 21 years.
asserted
that → read → years
While there will perhaps be a tinge of regret in letting Parrott leave, hindsight is a wonderful thing, and there is no telling whether his sharp penalty-box instincts and off-the-ball movement would have translated to an increasingly physical Premier League.
asserted
instincts → let → League
It is Lankshear’s development that Spurs will be keeping a closer eye on, with the 21-year-old scoring eight goals in 11 appearances across all competitions for Middlesbrough since completing a move in July that could rise as high as £20million.
uncertain
that → keep → 20million
Noted for his physicality, Lankshear is in the mould of a modern Premier League striker, and Spurs hedged their bets by including matching rights and a 20 per cent sell-on clause in the deal that took him to the Riverside Stadium.
asserted
that → note → Stadium
It is clear that Spurs, while trying to maximise player sales out of their academy, still have one eye on Lankshear and could look to bring him back to the club if he continues in the rich vein of form that has Middlesbrough in contention for promotion to the Premier League.
uncertain
that → try → League
Parrott may have been the original Kane succession plan, but it is currently Lankshear that looks best placed to step out of the former Spurs captain’s shadow.
uncertain
that → look → shadow
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