Talk about making a positive first impression.
After leaving Tottenham Hotspur – and becoming his new club’s all-time record signing – the former Premier League starlet has wasted little time in showing that he can step into the boots of last season’s Golden Boot winner.
Vangelis Pavlidis – scorer of 33 goals before his £18 million move to Benfica – will take some replacing.
But, in Troy Parrott, AZ Alkmaar have brought in a centre-forward who’s return at a poor Excelsior outfit was nothing short of sensational.
Parrott ended 2023/24 with 17 goals on loan in the Netherlands, scoring not one but two hat-tricks in the relegation play-offs. Even that was not enough to save Excelsior from the drop.
But if Parrott can be so prolific in a team struggling at the bottom of the table, just imagine what he can achieve at an AZ side who finished just shy of the top three last term and scored the fourth-most goals in the division with 70.
Troy Parrott impressing after Tottenham Hotspur exit
Sven Mijnans, the playmaker who will be tasked with serving up chances for Parrott in the final third, is already counting down the days until he can kick off a new-look attacking partnership in the Eredivisie.
“Now that Vangelis is gone, other guys have to step up. Including me,” former Sparta Rotterdam attacker Mijnans tells Voetbal International.
“Troy has to start scoring his goals. The wingers have to start scoring their goals. Jordy Clasie can score a few. Everyone has to start scoring their goals now.
“In my first six months at AZ, I scored quite a few goals and created chances from the number 10 position.”
Parrott needed only a few minutes to open his AZ account, albeit unofficially. He netted in a 3-0 friendly win over KV Kortrijk last week, head coach Maarten Martens hailing his £7 million signing ‘a complete player’ capable of both creating and finishing chances.
“Troy is a technical and very intelligent player,” agrees Mijnans. ‘We haven’t been playing together for long but, in terms of position changes, it’s going well.
“The nice thing is, he has depth but can also get on the ball. He keeps the ball and has a good bounce (in terms of linking the play with clever, one-touch passes). We often talk about how we can complement each other.
“If I go deep, he drops back and vice versa. I think we can find a good rhythm.”
17 goals last season for former Spurs striker
Dublin-born Parrott spent seven years at Tottenham between 2017 and 2024 but made only two Premier League appearances.
The Republic of Ireland international was often likened to a young Harry Kane – particularly after one stand-out pre-season under Mauricio Pochettino – but struggled to live up to early expectations during a series of hit-and-miss loan spells at MK Dons, Millwall, Ipswich Town and Preston North End.
“(Parrott) just looks good. I think he’s a complete player,” Martens tells NOS, Parrott signed as much for his technical ability as his finishing skills. “We had that with Pavlidis too. He was someone who finished, but someone you could also combine with.
“Parrott has that too. He still has to prove to us that he guarantees goals. He’s still young so, if he listens to us, he’ll get even better.”
“We should not keep comparing him (with Pavlidis). This is a new season, a new striker. We think we have a very good one in him.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
