Why Troy Parrott Picked Seville Over West Ham
When Troy Parrott stepped off the plane on August 20 in Seville at a welcome that even took him aback, he was making a statement about what he sees as his career trajectory.
The 24-year-old Dubliner had a route back to England during the summer, with West Ham United pushing hard to sign him as their marquee striker as they looked to get straight back to the Premier League. Most people who engage with sports betting would have put their money on a return to London.
However, he turned this down and instead signed a five-year deal with Real Betis, with a fee of around €20 million. This appears to all be part of a larger plan for Parrott.
A Man in Demand
Parrott arrives at Betis as one of the hottest strikers on the market after scoring 31 goals and having 12 assists last season in 48 games for AZ Alkmaar.
He also got international acclaim for scoring twice against Portugal for Ireland in the recent World Cup qualifying, following that up with a hat trick against Hungary to drag his team into the World Cup play-offs.
He’s now a national hero after his stoppage-time goal against Hungary. Dublin Airport welcomed him home by jokingly rebranding itself as ‘Troy Parrott Airport.’
Between his club and national team form, he had no shortage of interested parties to sign him. West Ham headed up the list, as well as Real Betis, who were also considering the likes of Arnaud Kalimuendo and Fabio Silva.
The West Ham Deal That Never Happened
West Ham appeared to be the front-runners for a long time. According to reports, sources close to Parrott expected that he would make the move to London in mid-August.
However, the deal reportedly hinged on the demand from Alkmaar, who wanted about €18 million up front and another €4 million in add-ons. West Ham were on budgets and this led to a stall in negotiations over what reportedly was as little as €2 million in difference.
This hesitation opened the door for Betis to step in. AZ had effectively agreed to accept any bid that was better than West Ham’s, so Betis just needed to nudge in a little higher. West Ham were forced to pivot, signing Joel Piroe from Leeds United instead.
Several media outlets reported that it was Parrott who also had a big role in where he was going.
The 24-year-old was adamant that he wanted to play in the Champions League, which is why Betis was chosen. The Spanish side did their due diligence and got glowing references about Parrott’s character and ability which firmed up their desire to bring him to the club.
Champions League Football
The single biggest factor reportedly for the deal was Parrott wanting to test himself at the highest level of European football. Betis finished in 5th place in La Liga last season, led by former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini. This was the first time in 21 years that Betis qualified for the Champions League.
Parrott has played in the Europa and Conference Leagues with Alkmaar, but not the Champions League. Betis were his route to the biggest club competition on the continent, something which West Ham couldn’t offer him.
Rejecting a Return to England
Parrott also isn’t necessarily rejecting England forever. The Irish Times reported that Parrott’s plan after AZ was always to stay in continental Europe, such as Germany or Spain, so that he could arrive at the Premier League in England when he was hitting his peak at around 27 or 28, as opposed to signing now.
Some suggested that signing for West Ham, who got relegated last season but retained key talent like captain Jarrod Bowen, would mean that Parrott could have a big season, scoring plenty of goals in the English second tier before going to the Premier League after a promotion push.
However, nothing is certain in football, with West Ham only getting 1 from a possible 6 points after their first two games of the season.
A move to Betis keeps his trajectory moving upwards and it’s a decision that’s remarkably self-aware from a young forward.
Learning From Past Experiences
There is also a history in England that acts as a cautionary tale for Parrott. He signed at Tottenham Hotspur at 16 years old from Belvedere, having been a hot target for many big clubs in England.
He made his senior Spurs and Ireland debuts at 17, with some people quickly likening him to Harry Kane. However, his career started to stall, with several loan spells to Millwall, Preston, and Ipswich ensuring many people started seeing him as an unfulfilled prospect.
Getting out of England was the key. Parrott spoke about how moving to the Netherlands forced him to grow up and helped him block out the noise. He knew that living up to the hype from such a young age was never realistic.
He started at Excelsior Rotterdam before moving to AZ. He then started becoming a prolific goalscorer at senior level, and carried that form onto the international stage.
Plenty of Gametime
The reported €20 million fee that brought Parrott to Betis makes him the club’s fifth most expensive signing in the club’s history. That means Pellegrini will be looking to build the attack around him and not just keep him resigned to the bench. He doesn’t have a ton of competition for his central role.
The veteran Cucho Hernández is the other main striker, and there’s a strong cast of creative suppliers like Isco, Antony, and Abde Ezzalzouli. It’s a settled team that got to the 2025 Conference League final and has been building towards Champions League football.
The other aspect is getting to test himself in some of football’s most impressive arenas, like Camp Nou and the Bernabéu. This is where he’ll develop further and see how he matches up against the best of the best.
Betis is also interestingly a club with historic links to Ireland, as Kerry native Patrick O’Connell was the manager when they won their only La Liga title in 1934/35. Fans will be hoping that Parrott will return the luck of the Irish to the Seville side.
