Troy Parrott, on his seventeenth birthday, signs a professional contract with Tottenham Hotspur. He thus graduates from the youth academy, after transferring from Belvedere; his boyhood club.
Troy Parrott Signs First Professional Contract For Tottenham Hotspur
Straight into the First Team?
With Kaziah Sterling on loan to Sunderland, this is a predictable move from Pochettino. After all, Parrott is essentially the next player on the pecking order of young strikers at the club. However, what is equally predictable is that he is unlikely to get a great deal of game time.
Harry Kane is out till March. But, in his stead are both Fernando Llorente, and a combination of Son Heung-Min and Erik Lamela. Thus, Parrott will certainly not be appearing on any starting XIs any time soon.
However, there may be a place on the bench for the Republic of Ireland star. He is after all a talented young player. And, as other young players such as Dele Alli, or indeed Harry Kane, Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason prove; Pochettino is prepared to give his young stars a chance.
Spurs are at a tricky part of the season, though. They have finished their domestic cup campaigns prematurely, and have a huge tie against Borussia Dortmund ahead.
Furthermore, in the Premier League, they are still only two points behind Manchester City. Margins for error are so tight. Nevertheless, the squad is still thin on out-and-out strikers. Should there be an injury to Llorente, for example, Parrott would probably find a place on the bench.
Protecting Assets
On the day of his birthday, Spurs offer Parrott a professional contract. This is the minimum age at which a player can sign for a club, professionally. Thus, this is clearly a statement of intent; Spurs want to keep a hold of this player.
Even if Parrott is not immediately in the team plans, this is just because he is not quite ready. But, in the future, he is very much rated by the club’s staff and is likely to make some start to his senior career at Spurs.
Indeed, here is an exciting young forward who has already been scoring goals throughout different stages at youth level. Now it is a task for Pochettino and staff to carefully develop this young star; a star that may serve for the club for many years to come.
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