Spurs transfer news: Lilywhites 'refuse' to repeat Troy Parrott mistake with 20

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly learned their lesson regarding confidence placed in one of their current youngsters.

The development of homegrown talent at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been a hot topic of debate over the past week due to the exploits of Troy Parrott.

He scored an incredible five goals across the space of less than 72 hours as Republic of Ireland defeated Portugal and Hungary to earn a spot in the World Cup playoffs.

Parrott is currently starring for AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands, netting 33 goals from 61 appearances since the start of 2024-25, but he initially started his career with Spurs.

Just four outings were made in all competitions before Spurs accepted a £6.7m offer from AZ, and it has since come back to haunt the North Londoners at a time when they are not exactly blessed with players coming through their academy setup.

Spurs established Donley stance

According to TEAMtalk, the vast progression of Parrott - now 23 years of age - has led to the Spurs hierarchy taking a specific stance over the development of Jamie Donley.

The report suggests that Spurs chiefs will present Donley with the necessary time to showcase his ability and stake a claim for a first-team spot.

Donley made headlines on Monday night as he scored the only goal of the game in Northern Ireland's 1-0 win over Luxembourg in their final World Cup qualifier.

That opportunity came despite just 257 minutes being racked up for Stoke City across six appearances this campaign, but Donley showed his pedigree in League One during 2024-25.

A total of eight goals and 10 assists came from 39 outings for Leyton Orient, and the starlet is naturally targeting an eventual return to Spurs in the long term,

He has already made four senior appearances for Spurs, albeit his game time only reaching 10 minutes.

Spurs in strong position regarding Donley's future

With a contract in place until 2029, Spurs can take their time before making a decision over whether Donley will ever be good enough to make a regular contribution in the Premier League.

Being integrated at some point feels more likely than not due to Spurs lacking homegrown talent, but Donley would need to make an impression at Championship level before earning that chance.