According to the Evening Standard, Parrott's impressive form for Ireland is prompting Tottenham Hotspur fans to rue the club's decision to let go of a potential heir to Harry Kane.

Parrott scored in Ireland's 1-1 draw with Israel on Sunday, continuing his excellent start to the season.

The former Tottenham striker has now scored 4 goals in 3 matches for Halldór Hallgrímsson's side, including a penalty conversion against Serbia, and an impressive 10 goals in his last 7 official international appearances.

The Real Betis forward earned widespread praise last week for a brilliant solo goal against Austria. Parrott's journey has not been straightforward, but he is now gradually proving his ability to become a leading figure for Ireland, much like Robbie Keane and John Aldridge.

Parrott came through Tottenham Hotspur's academy, promoted to the first team by Mauricio Pochettino, and later given his Premier League debut by José Mourinho.

However, opportunities remained scarce. In 2024, Parrott finally left England to join Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar, hoping to revive his career. Prior to that, several unsuccessful loan spells in lower divisions had stalled his development.

Parrott gambled on his own ability, and it paid off. He scored 51 goals in 97 appearances for AZ Alkmaar before moving to Real Betis this summer.

The 24-year-old forward is now in superb form, with Hallgrímsson describing him as having "special talent" in front of goal. This has led some Tottenham fans to wonder if Parrott is the one who got away.

Since Harry Kane's departure to Bayern Munich in 2023, Tottenham Hotspur has struggled to fill the massive void left by their all-time leading scorer.

Kane scored 36 goals in 63 appearances for Bayern Munich last season and continues to perform at the highest level, while Tottenham has struggled in attack, with Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson also failing to provide consistent goals this season.

Letting Parrott go inevitably comes with some regret, but hindsight is always 20/20.

It is hard to imagine that Parrott, had he stayed at Tottenham—a team that has scored just 2 goals in their opening 5 league matches this season—would not have faced similar struggles.

Parrott did have the opportunity to return to England this summer, with West Ham United offering him a move, but he rejected the offer, choosing instead to prove himself in La Liga.

His highlights to date include a late winner against Real Madrid and the decisive goal in Betis's 3-2 victory over Lille in the Champions League, marking Betis's first appearance in the competition in 21 years.

Parrott is clearly thriving abroad. His decision has been validated by the fact that fellow Tottenham academy forwards Dan Scarlett and Will Lankshear also chose to seek new challenges this summer.

While letting Parrott go may carry a hint of regret, hindsight is a luxury. No one can say for certain whether his instinctive finishing and movement would have flourished in an increasingly physical Premier League.

Tottenham's focus has shifted to Lankshear's development. The 21-year-old forward joined Middlesbrough in July for a fee that could rise to £20 million and has since scored 8 goals in 11 appearances across all competitions.

Lankshear is known for his physical presence, embodying the modern Premier League center-forward archetype. Tottenham retained a matching clause and a 20% sell-on percentage in the deal.

Clearly, Tottenham aims to generate transfer revenue from its academy players while maintaining an eye on Lankshear's development. If he sustains this form and helps Middlesbrough secure promotion to the Premier League, Tottenham may consider bringing him back.

While Parrott may have represented the initial point of the Kane succession plan, it now appears Lankshear is positioned to emerge from the shadow of the former Tottenham captain.

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