Last summer, Tottenham Hotspur finishing outside of the European places was rightfully seen as a disaster of a season.
But in reality, the focus on just domestic competitions has handed Ange Postecoglou much more time on the training ground to install his swashbuckling philosophy.
The former Celtic boss hasn’t only signed plenty of quality, but he’s also improved the players that were already at Spurs, which is a testament to the Australian.
This is a positive sign for all the Lilywhites loanees as well, especially for one player who has been on fire this season in the Netherlands, even scoring more goals than Brennan Johnson.
Brennan Johnson’s 23/24 Premier League statistics
In the summer, Johnson signed for Spurs from Nottingham Forest in a deal worth £47.5m, with his contract lasting for six years.
The Welsh star impressed during his debut campaign in the Premier League last season, scoring eight goals and providing three assists, helping the Tricky Trees avoid relegation.
His start to life at Tottenham wasn’t exactly ideal, with the 22-year-old picking up a hamstring injury that saw him miss four matches.
However, Johnson has really started to show his worth since the turn of the year, developing into a key player for Postecoglou.
The versatile attacker has played 21 matches in the Premier League this campaign, starting 17. But it is his recent performances that have impressed, netting three goals and providing two assists in his last six games.
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This takes his tally for the season up to four goals and six assists, yet there is one Tottenham loanee who’s found the back of the net more often this season.
Troy Parrott's 23/23 statistics
Troy Parrott is a name that has been mentioned among the Tottenham faithful for years, even since the days of him performing for the U18s.
Since then, the Irish academy graduate has been shipped on loan to numerous clubs over the last few seasons, joining League One outfit MK Dons in 2021 and scoring ten goals in 47 matches.
The Dublin-born star was then sent on loan to Championship side Preston North End, where he netted four goals. However, today, Parrott plays his football for Eredivisie side Excelsior, who are fighting for survival in the Dutch top flight.
The 22-year-old is currently the club’s top scorer in the league with seven goals from 14 starts, which is three more than Johnson and an extremely respectable record considering the team he plays for is far from dominant, sat 15th in the table and one place above the relegation spots.
Starts
14
Goals
7
xG
5.81
Big chances missed
7
Assists
3
Touches (per game)
21.4
Passes completed (per game)
7.8
As you can see by his low pass statistics and touches, the “brilliant” Parrott, as former teammate Scott Twine described him, is often working with scraps, which limits his technical ability.
However, he’s been able to showcase the fact that he’s a pure finisher, overperforming his expected goals. Furthermore, although he’s missed seven big chances, it proves that he’s always in the right position to score, indicating that his movement in the box is difficult to contain.
Overall, it’s been a promising loan spell for Parrott, who will gain valuable experience playing in a relegation scrap. It’s fair to say that Postecoglou will look forward to working with the young striker at the end of the season should they keep him around.