Both Troy Parrott and Harvey White have progressed through the Spurs Academy set-up, with both players part of the extremely talented 2018/19 Academy age group at the club. Parrott spent this season on loan with Championship side Preston North End, where he made 34 competitive appearances, scoring four goals for them following his loan move to Lancashire last summer. Harvey White spent the first half of the season with Spurs, mainly playing for their Under 21 side, as well as making one competitive appearance for the Spurs first team, from the bench in a Premier League fixture with Crystal Palace in January. In addition to that first team appearance, Harvey also started two first team mid-season friendly matches, against Motherwell and Nice respectively, in the false nine centre-forward position. He would join League One side Derby County on loan, during early 2023, and he would make 15 competitive appearances for them (Harvey started five of those matches).

Troy Parrott is the most promising centre-forward that I have ever seen play in the Spurs Academy set-up. The former Belvedere player and current Republic of Ireland international, is still very much a player who in my opinion has so much potential. The 21 year old has spent the last three seasons away from Spurs on loan, enjoying a particularly successful loan with then League One side MK Dons in 2021/22, when he often wasn’t playing as the main centre-forward. Parrott is in my opinion faster than most players, has good skill on the ball and most importantly of all he gets into excellent positions from which he can score goals from, such is his excellent off the ball movement and anticipation of situations on the pitch. Of course as a centre-forward, despite the fact that he wasn’t always playing as a centre-forward, he’ll not be satisfied with his stats for goals scored for Preston last season. However, the Republic of Ireland international who has already won 18 international caps for his country, would in my opinion in a better team with top players, excel, and get a lot of goals.

At Academy level Troy quickly became too good for the Spurs Under 18 side and in time the Spurs Under 21 side. He also quickly became physically ready to play senior football, but it was his determination to get into goalscoring positions, link-up play and desire to drop deep as well as his clinical ability in front of goal, which made him one of the top academy prospects in the country. He started and scored for a Spurs Under 21 side, in their friendly match with Syracuse University on Friday. I really hope that he gets some really good minutes for the Spurs first team in pre-season, to show much that he can contribute in a top side, which I fully believe he can do. Central midfielder Harvey White also got minutes in the friendly match with Syracuse University, following his return from his loan move at Derby County. Harvey is as many Spurs fans now know, a great set-piece taker, who has a wonderful left foot. However, the 21 year old is a midfielder who has a real tenacity to his game, and at Academy level I have seen him run games with real ease from midfield.

Harvey White has played for Spurs quite a bit in pre-season before, but I personally think that he has improved quite a lot from watching him in recent seasons. I’m sure that he would have liked to have started more games for Derby, but in the Spurs Under 21 side last season it became quite evident as one of the more senior players in the side, that he was developing into a fine leader, and someone who could encourage and motivate his teammates in difficult situations on the pitch. He likes to get forward and score goals, as well as working hard for the team and doing a lot of defensive work. However, he is as I wrote earlier, someone who really can make the difference in matches. He is a very intelligent midfield player with a great understanding of the game, at still an early stage of his footballing career. I really hope that both Troy and Harvey get some really good minutes for the Spurs first team in pre-season, and from there can really flourish during 2023/24.