Champions League football and the opportunity to work with the 72-year-old Manuel Pellegrini has Troy Parrott on the cusp of completing a €20-million move from AZ Alkmaar to Real Betis in Spain.
Parrott is reportedly finalising the terms of a five-year contract to swap the Dutch Eredivisie for La Liga on an initial fee of €16 million, with add-ons of around €4 million.
The figures indicate a €12-million profit for AZ after they paid Tottenham Hotspur €8 million for the Republic of Ireland international in 2024.
The 24-year-old attracted interest from West Ham and across Europe following his breakout season for club and country, scoring 37 goals, including a hat-trick against Hungary in Budapest last November in the World Cup playoff.
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Parrott has accepted a lower salary than he might have received at West Ham, or elsewhere, to come under La Liga’s salary cap, with Betis selling Nobel Mendy to Hull City to ensure the deal can be completed. AZ Alkmaar had been holding out for €25 million, but the Dubliner pushed the Dutch club to accept the offer, according to Diario de Sevilla.
Further reports indicate a medical has been scheduled ahead of Real Betis’ opening La Liga game against Real Sociedad on Friday night at their temporary home, El Estadio La Cartuja.
If fit, Parrott could go straight into Pellegrini’s team ahead of the Colombian striker Cucho Hernández as Betis turn their attention to signing Spanish midfielder Dani Ceballos, who was just released by Real Madrid.
Parrott’s circuitous route to a Champions League side, ahead of the group phase draw on August 27th, included four challenging loan moves away from Spurs to Millwall, Ipswich Town, MK Dons and Preston North End before a loan to Rotterdam side Excelsior in 2023, where he scored two hat-tricks in relegation playoffs to catch the attention of AZ.
Parrott leaves the Netherlands after three seasons with 47 goals, 17 assists and a Dutch cup medal. He currently has 11 goals for Ireland from 37 caps.
Under Fifa’s solidarity scheme, north Dublin club Belvedere FC could receive around €200,000 from the deal as reward for bringing Parrott through the underage ranks until he signed for Tottenham in 2017.
Real Betis has a similar structure to Shamrock Rovers, with two principal shareholders – club president Ángel Haro García and chief executive José Miguel López Catalán owning around 36 per cent – while a share distribution policy – Betis de los béticos – ensures that the club is partially fan-owned.
Pellegrini took Manchester City to a Premier League title in 2014. The Chilean made way for Pep Guardiola in 2016, but has enjoyed great success in Seville. He ended the club’s 17-year trophy drought in 2022 in winning the Copa Del Rey before they lost the Uefa Conference League final to Chelsea in 2025.
Betis’ fifth-place finish in La Liga last season qualified them for the Champions League for the second time in the club’s history.
There was a strong Irish connection at Real Betis when they won their only La Liga title in 1935 as they were coached by Dubliner Patrick O’Connell, who went on to manage Barcelona.
Parrott also follows in the footsteps of other Irish internationals who tried to make an impact in Spain, including Michael Robinson (Osasuna), Kevin Moran (Sporting Gijón), John Aldridge (Real Sociedad), Ian Harte (Levante) and most recently, Matt Doherty’s brief stint at Átletico Madrid in 2023.
Aldridge scored 40 goals in 75 appearances for Real Sociedad during his two seasons in Spain.
