Troy Parrott swaps Alkmaar for Seville as Real Betis seal €20m deal
Republic of Ireland striker Troy Parrott has completed a transfer from AZ Alkmaar to Real Betis, signing a five-year contract with the La Liga club.
Both clubs confirmed the agreement on Thursday, with the fee understood to be around 20 million euros (£17.1m) after advanced talks between the two sides. For Betis, it is a statement of intent from a club on the rise — they finished fifth in Spain's top flight last season, earning a place in the Champions League, Europe's elite club competition, for the coming campaign. BBC Sport
West Ham had been heavily linked with the 24-year-old, who began his career at Tottenham before his move to the Netherlands. Parrott joined AZ in July 2024 after a loan spell at Excelsior Rotterdam, another Dutch club, and quickly made himself indispensable.
He scored ten goals in his first seven appearances last season before a knee ligament injury at the end of August sidelined him until October. He returned to finish with 16 goals in 28 league games — a strike rate that turned AZ's modest investment into one of the bargains of the Dutch season.
But it is Parrott's international form that has truly lifted his profile. In November, he scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Portugal, then three days later delivered a hat-trick — including a 96th-minute winner — in a 3-2 away victory against Hungary. He became the first Republic of Ireland player to score a hat-trick in an away men's international, and the first Irishman to manage a competitive treble for the men's team since Robbie Keane in 2014.
Those performances helped Ireland secure a place in the World Cup play-offs. Parrott, now capped 37 times, is set to be a central figure for manager Heimir Hallgrimsson's side in the upcoming Nations League — a competition between European national teams — where Ireland will face Kosovo, Austria and Israel in Group B3.
For a player who spent years drifting on loan from Tottenham without quite settling, the trajectory is unmistakable. Alkmaar gave him a platform. Seville gives him the biggest stage of his career. The green shirt of Ireland has turned him into a player who decides matches on his own.
Betis are betting that the version of Parrott who tormented Portugal and Hungary is the one arriving at the Benito Villamarín. On the evidence of the past twelve months, that bet looks sound.
