Chris Waddle has questioned whether Tottenham Hotspur should consider bringing Troy Parrott back to North London, with the striker’s value having risen considerably since his departure.Parrott was regularly compared to Harry Kane while coming through the academy at Hotspur Way, with many hoping the Irishman would eventually establish himself in Tottenham’s first team. However, despite making his senior debut at just 17, he struggled to secure regular opportunities and eventually left the club in 2024.The 24-year-old has since started fulfilling the potential that made him such a highly rated prospect. After an impressive spell at AZ Alkmaar, Parrott secured a move to Real Betis this summer and has continued attracting attention with his performances.The striker has made an encouraging start to life in Spain, and his development has not gone unnoticed among Tottenham supporters. With Roberto De Zerbi’s side struggling for goals, questions are inevitably being asked about whether Spurs should have kept hold of their academy graduate.Photo by Jose Luis Contreras/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesChris Waddle urges Tottenham to steer clear of £68m Troy ParrottSome Spurs supporters have called for Parrott to return, although any potential deal would be considerably more expensive than the fee Tottenham received for him. Reports suggest the Republic of Ireland international has a €100m (£85m) release clause in his Betis contract.The Spanish club have already dismissed the idea of Parrott returning to Tottenham, and the striker is contracted to Betis until 2031. That leaves the La Liga side in a strong negotiating position should interest emerge.Waddle believes spending around €80m (£67.5m) to re-sign Parrott would make little sense for Spurs. The former Tottenham winger questioned the logic of paying such a significant amount for a player the club previously allowed to leave for a fraction of that figure.Speaking to talkSPORT Bet, Waddle highlighted the difficulty of knowing which academy players will eventually succeed at the highest level. He pointed to Will Lankshear and Mikey Moore as examples of youngsters who have needed opportunities elsewhere, while acknowledging the expectations placed on players at Tottenham.Waddle explained that Spurs had opted to sign established forwards rather than rely on younger players who might not have been ready for regular first-team football. He also questioned whether spending such a large fee to bring Parrott back would be sensible, saying: “I wouldn’t see the sense in buying Troy Parrott back for €80million if you let him go for peanuts.”The former England international also discussed the difficult decisions clubs face when young players are approaching the stage where they need regular football. He suggested that clubs must weigh up whether to offer long-term contracts or sell players who are unlikely to break into the first team, ideally retaining buy-back rights where possible.Waddle pointed to Tottenham’s decision to invest in experienced forwards, including Dominic Solanke, as part of that wider approach. He acknowledged that former academy players can go on to command significant fees elsewhere, even when their original clubs may have misjudged their potential.“Tottenham have produced three or four good young players coming through. Will Lankshear went to Boro, and Mikey Moore went on loan to Rangers. But when you’re talking about the top level at Tottenham, with expectations of playing in the Champions League, it’s hard to look at a youngster and know if he’ll be the next Harry Kane,” he said.“It’s very difficult, and Tottenham decided to buy established centre-forwards rather than stick with those youngsters. Whether they thought they weren’t ready for Spurs is another thing, but they moved them on.“I wouldn’t see the sense in buying Troy Parrott back for €80million (£67.5m) if you let him go for peanuts. Mind you, players often leave big clubs and make a success of their careers elsewhere.“At the end of the day, a club has to decide whether to offer a long-term contract and if the player will make the first team. If they don’t see him breaking through for three or four years, they decide to sell while there are decent offers, ideally putting a buy-back clause in place.“They decided to go for experience with Solanke and others, letting the younger players move on. When those players flourish elsewhere and command big transfer fees, you have to say well done to them, even if Tottenham got the decision wrong.”The €80m figure mentioned by Waddle is not a confirmed asking price from Real Betis, but an illustration of the sort of fee that would make a reunion difficult to justify. Equally, Parrott’s reported €100m release clause does not necessarily mean Betis would refuse to negotiate a lower transfer fee.How much has Troy Parrott’s value increased since leaving Tottenham?Tottenham sold Parrott to AZ Alkmaar in July 2024 for a reported £6.7m, bringing an end to his seven-year association with the club. At the time, the Irishman had made only four senior appearances for Spurs and was approaching the final year of his contract.His subsequent development has been remarkable, with AZ Alkmaar confirming that Parrott scored 51 goals and provided 17 assists in 97 competitive appearances during his two seasons in the Netherlands. Those performances earned him a move to Real Betis in August 2026 for a reported €20m (£17.1m).Tottenham also reportedly retained a 20 per cent sell-on clause when Parrott joined AZ, meaning they benefited financially from his subsequent move to Spain. Based on the reported £17.1m transfer fee, that would represent approximately £3.4m for Spurs if the percentage applied to the full fee, although the precise payment depends on the contractual terms.Parrott’s value has therefore increased considerably since Tottenham allowed him to leave. However, Waddle’s €80m figure remains hypothetical, and there is no confirmation that Betis would demand that specific amount for the striker.The Irishman has continued making progress in Spain, with two goals and an assist across competitions during the opening weeks of his Betis career. Those numbers alone are not enough to establish whether he would solve Tottenham’s attacking problems, but his longer-term record at AZ provides stronger evidence of his development.D. SolankeTottenham – Premier League (2026 – 2027)Appearances6Minutes Played268Average Rating6.57Shots6Shots on Target3Goals1Assists0Key Passes2Pass Accuracy (%)88.00Duels Won8Successful Dribbles—Stats correct as of 15 October 2026.Image credit: acafferyphotographyphotos / InstagramDid Tottenham make a mistake selling Troy Parrott?There is an understandable sense of frustration among Tottenham supporters when former academy players succeed elsewhere, particularly when the first team is struggling in the same positions. However, Parrott’s development also demonstrates how important regular football can be for young players.After several loan spells in England, the striker began finding consistency in the Netherlands, first with Excelsior and then AZ Alkmaar. He was able to establish himself as a regular starter, something Tottenham could not guarantee him at the time.The decision to sell him also needs to be considered in the context of Tottenham’s circumstances in 2024. Parrott was entering the final year of his contract, and Spurs opted to invest heavily in Solanke as they looked for an established Premier League centre-forward.That does not necessarily mean Tottenham were right to let Parrott leave permanently. With the benefit of hindsight, supporters can reasonably question whether the club could have found a way to retain greater control over his future while allowing him to continue developing elsewhere.Waddle’s argument about the cost of bringing Parrott back is difficult to dismiss, particularly given Tottenham’s previous investment in their attack. Spending close to £68m on a former academy player would represent a significant financial commitment, regardless of how much he has improved.Yet there is a distinction between questioning whether Spurs should re-sign Parrott and questioning whether they should have sold him in the first place. The Irishman’s rise does not automatically prove Tottenham made the wrong decision, but it does highlight the challenge of identifying which young players are worth keeping for the long term.READ MORE: Four Tottenham academy youngsters travel to Marbella with senior squadThe post Chris Waddle makes £68m claim about Troy Parrott returning to Tottenham appeared first on Spurs Web.