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Troy, Troy and Troy again - the hat-trick hero is back in the headlines
Spurs link is a good story but an unwanted one
Cathal Dervan, Editor
You know you’ve made it as a goalscorer when Michael Owen starts to take notice of your career - or at least those who ghostwrite his column for a betting site start to ask questions about your future.
Parrott fashions a shot in the recent friendly against North Macedonia at the Aviva
That’s the case right now according to reports around our Troy in the Irish Mirror and Irish Daily Star and carried elsewhere on this platform following AK Alkmaar’s Dutch Cup win at the weekend.
Parrott, the hat-trick hero of Budapest and now the country’s favourite sports star according to a recent survey, is a wanted man by all accounts and Michael thinks he should follow the money this summer.
Everyone from AC Milan to Borussia Dortmund fancy the young Dubliner whose career has really taken off at club level since he left Tottenham behind and took his chance in Holland, first on loan at Excelsior and now with Alkmaar.
A host of English clubs have also been linked with the 24-year-old including Leeds United, West Ham, Everton and Fulham.
And Spurs get a mention too - but only if they are relegated from the top flight of English football which is a real possibility at present after West Ham’s point at Crystal Palace on Monday night and their draw at home to Brighton on Sunday.
At first glance the condition that a return to north London for Parrott is dependent on the drop for Tottenham seems fair enough. The club that decided Parrott wasn’t ready to take a Premier League gamble on with a new contract just two summers ago, may well think he is good enough for the Championship now after honing his skills in the Eredivisie.
But think about that appraisal of Parrott’s coming of age with AZ and your Irish blood might just start to boil.
Who can argue with any justification that the Championship with Spurs is a better prospect for Troy’s next career step than AC Milan or Dortmund? Who can say that second division Spurs will be a better move than Leeds or West Ham if they stay up at Tottenham’s expense?
FIVE2FOLLOW
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The truth is that Spurs had their chance to be loyal to Troy Parrott two years ago and didn’t take it. They were happy when he was dubbed the new Robbie Keane at a very young age but not happy enough to stand by him when he needed the comfort blanket of an extended stay in or around their first team squad.
Instead they let him leave for Holland, first with Excelsior and then for a permanent move to AZ Alkmaar. If anything, he has thrived on the back of that Tottenham rejection and realised, as well as proving, that England is not the only destination young Irish players should think about when the time comes for a career move.
That lesson is one that more and more young Irish players should take note of now that Brexit is as cemented in stone as the Luke Kelly statue in Troy’s beloved inner city home parish.
As for Troy? Well English clubs need him now more than he needs English clubs. He has proven himself as one of Europe’s leading goalscorers by moving to mainland Europe and he should stay there.
Italy, Spain, Germany or Portugal, with one of their big three clubs and maybe even Jose Mourinho’s Benfica, will offer our Hungary hero more than anyone across the Irish Sea as he looks to develop his skills even further.
Troy may indeed fancy a move back to Spurs to prove them wrong but he doesn’t have to - he’s already done that and more by going Dutch.
To put it simply, he should stay away from England now.
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This week’s episode of Let’s Talk Football - Cathal & Kevin dissect the Merseyside derby and discuss all things EPL.
The key stories developing today
Kerry born Shamrock Rovers star Gary O’Neill has his eyes on a June return to action after winning his battle with testicular cancer.
O’Neill revealed the reason behind his six-month absence from the Rovers first team squad in an interview with the club’s own TV channel last week.
And he has now confirmed to RTE’s Oliver Callan Show that he intends to push for a first team comeback in the Dublin derby with Shelbourne on June 12th.
The RTE website quotes from O’Neill’s interview with the Callan show when he stated: “I have a goal in my mind and I think it’s definitely an optimistic goal to be brutally honest with you, but we have a mid-season break the first week of June and I’m looking at coming back after that mid-season break.
“I won’t be ready to start a match or anything but I want to be back with the team and back training and then eventually knocking on the manager’s door looking for a few minutes.
“So yeah, it’s not too far away. That might be optimistic but that’s just my goal.”
Ireland’s 1990 World Cup foe Gheorghe Hagi is back in charge of the Romanian team for the second time - and has declared his intention to win every game his team plays as they look to qualify for Euro 2028.
Hagi was one of the stars of the show at Italia ‘90 when his Romanian side were eventually knocked out on penalties by Ireland in their famous last 16 clash in Genoa.
Now he could Romania to a Dublin date at the Euro 28 finals after making some bold statements at his inauguration according to the Guardian report.
“Our goal is to win every game. Our goal is to win the Nations League. Our goal is to qualify for the European Championship in 2028,” Hagi said at a press conference in Bucharest.
“I was born to win, not just to exist. Don’t you know my motto? This is an honour and a great responsibility but also a huge challenge to make the country and our supporters happy.”
Liverpool and England legend Michael Owen has told Ireland hero Troy Parrott to test himself at the highest level when clubs come calling to AZ Alkmaar for his services this summer.
Parrott’s 30th goal of the season helped AZ win the KNVB Dutch Cup for only the fifth time on Sunday as the likes of AC Milan, Wolfsburg, Borussia Dortmund, Leeds United, Everton, West Ham and Fulham have been linked with the Dubliner.
Owen told the Irish Mirror: “This is a short career. If the opportunity arises, then you can’t keep a good man down. You’ve got to try it. If an opportunity arises to better yourself, then absolutely.”
French defender Ibrahima Konate looks set to extend his Liverpool career and sign a new contract extension in the coming weeks according to reports.
The Irish Examiner is one of many outlets suggesting that Konate will extend his current deal which expires in June and quotes the player’s remarks after Sunday’s win at Everton.
“My future? To be fair, there are many things people have said but for a long time we have spoken with the club and we are close to an agreement,” said Konate.
German coach Marco Rose will make his Premier League bow next season when he takes charge of Bournemouth on a three-year contract as replacement for Andoni Iraola.
The BBC reports that Bournemouth have confirmed the appointment of former Leipzig boss Rose just days after Iraola confirmed he would not sign a new deal at Vitality Stadium.
Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna and Rayo Vallecano’s Inigo Perez were also in contention for the job according to the BBC.
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