Richard Dunne: Spanish move perfect to take Troy Parrott to next level
REAL DEAL: Troy Parrott looks set to join Spanish club Real Betis.
Richard Dunne believes Troy Parrott’s potential €20m move to Real Betis can take the Ireland striker to another level - and sees clear echoes of Robbie Keane in the 25-year-old’s intelligence and fearlessness.
Parrott, 24, was a summer target for West Ham after two prolific seasons with AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands. But he is now heavily linked with the Seville club, where he would have the chance to play Champions League football this season.
Dunne believes another move on the continent is the right choice for Parrott.
“What he’s done is amazing,” said the former Ireland captain.
“He’s been a huge success in Holland and had the opportunity to probably earn more money at West Ham and play in the Championship. But he’s decided now he wants to forge his career - to get even better and to challenge himself again.
“Taking on a new country, a new league, is amazing. It shows the character of the player. We’ve seen him for Ireland, we know that he doesn’t have any fear.”
Dunne feels La Liga could provide the ideal environment for Parrott’s continued development, while a return to England would bring greater pressure to establish himself immediately.
“West Ham have had 25 number nines, I think, over the last period of time,” he said. "They have no problem spending £20 million on a player, then dropping him and spending another £20 million.
“Unless you’re an instant success, which isn’t always the case for players, it can be difficult.
“He’s chosen really well, he’s made a brave and good decision to go to Spain to play in probably the second-best league in the world, and play in some of the best stadiums against the best teams in the world.”
Avoiding a return to the English capital will benefit the ex-Tottenham starlet, Dunne claims.
"London is probably a comfortable place for Troy. He knows the area, he knows everybody around the place,” he said.
“So to go away again and have new experiences and challenges, to take a risk, it’s brilliant for him. It can only help him develop as a player and a person - that’s going to benefit Ireland.
"He’s a street footballer with a brain. He understands the game that’s going on around him. He knows where the spaces are, where the opportunities will drop and how to influence games.
“That’s one thing that will grow with age and with experience. It's why he compares Parrott with Ireland’s record goalscorer Keane.
“Robbie was the same - huge intelligence, clever, understood how to get the best of defenders,” commented Dunne. “He probably couldn’t out-muscle them, but he could outsmart them on occasions.
“I feel that with Troy. He’s an intelligent footballer, he’s got that inner-city Dublin mentality about him, similar to Robbie. Neither of them ever show any fear. I think Troy will get better."
Meanwhile, Dunne wanted the FAI to resolve the issue surrounding Ireland’s upcoming Nations League fixtures against Israel much sooner, rather than leaving the players open to being asked about their feelings on playing.
“The only thing I would say is that I just hope there's a decision made where it doesn't come down to somebody asking the players do you want to play or not, I think that would be very unfair on players," he said.
"Because footballers are not involved in that, they're basically kids who want to play football. Some of the senior ones might have an opinion on iy, but I think the young ones will just want to play.
“It's really difficult because there's points involved, so from the footballers' point of view that's what they're looking at. They know there's an opportunity to play a game.
"They don't have anything against the Israel players or whatever and it's just something that the FAI should deal with long before - and hopefully they still will, before it actually comes around."
Dunne was speaking in Whitehall at Home Farm FC, the famous Northside football nursery that he left as a 16-year-old for Everton 30 years ago.
Successfully running his own FMC academy on the France-Monaco border, new Home Farm ambassador Dunne hopes the club's new link-up with DCU can create another route for talented players beyond grassroots football as the club joins the FAI's new third-tier National League.
“The connection is a great opportunity,” he said.
His own son, Tayo, one of a number of players who left FMC, which now operates within the club US Cap d'Ail, for a professional career. Tayo is with Barnsley.
"I just try to guide him," Dunne said. "One of my cousins was saying the family was very disappointed because we had a long blonde-haired number 10.
“I thought, that’s a new generation for the Dunnes, but then he ends up signing for Barnsley, he’s shaving his hair off and wears number five, so it’s back to basics!"
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