Celtic have a strong association with many Ireland strikers, including Troy Parrott.
Adam Idah recently spent 18 eventful months at the club. Johnny Kenny scored six goals this season before leaving on loan. Evan Ferguson has been tipped for a move to Celtic, but two scored goals at Parkhead for Roma in December.
Less in-reach for the Hoops at this moment is Parrott, who has had a storming season for both AZ Alkmaar and the Irish national side.
Speaking with Dutch outlet Voetbal International, he has reflected on the offer he had from Glasgow earlier in his career, around 2017.
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Parrott said: “From a young age, I was asked by foreign clubs to do trials.
“I played for Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Celtic.
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“Some clubs turned me down, but in the end, I had to choose between Spurs, Everton, Wolves, and Celtic.
“Tottenham gave me the best feeling. I felt incredibly welcome there, which is especially important at a young age.”
A highly-rated prospect at Tottenham, Parrott had loan spells at four EFL clubs before moving to Excelsior in the Eredivisie. AZ paid £3.3 million to sign him in 2024.
He has since scored 44 goals for the Dutch side, and reportedly has Premier League clubs pursuing a potential move in the summer.
But there is no doubt that the peak of his career came in November. Ireland had to win at home to Portugal before beating Hungary in Budapest in order to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
Parrott stepped up with a heroic brace in the Portugal clash, scoring both goals in a 2-0 win that he described as the ‘best night of his career’.
But it was eclipsed just three days later in Budapest, when Parrott scored the most dramatic of late winners to seal an away hat-trick and qualify for the play-offs with a 3-2 win.
In scoring all five of Ireland’s goals in the two seismic wins, Parrott became a national hero.
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Troy Parrott could have joined Celtic on loan
But 2017 wasn’t his only chance to join Celtic. Three years later, the striker was seeking first-team experience, and Neil Lennon was interested.
The Hoops made an approach for Parrott, but the striker rejected them once again, instead moving to Millwall in the Championship.
This could well have been because he wasn’t expecting sufficient game time in Glasgow, with Odsonne Edouard, Leigh Griffiths and Albian Ajeti on Lennon’s books at the time.
Parrott is firmly out of Celtic’s reach now.
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