Daniel Kretinsky faces West Ham transfer cringe after new Joe Cole claim | OneFootball

Joe Cole has hinted a big move could soon come for Troy Parrott after West Ham United failed in a move to sign him this summer.

West Ham United are the title favourites for the Championship this season and they remain in a strong position but there may well be regret over missing out on the signing of former Tottenham Hotspur striker Troy Parrott.

West Ham stumbled at the start of this season with just two draws and a defeat at home to Charlton Athletic in their opening three games but The Irons have begun to turn things around.

A 4-2 defeat of Wolverhampton Wanderers and then a 3-0 victory over Derby County before a thrilling 3-2 win away at Bolton Wanderers and Friday evening's rousing 6-0 home rout against Wrexham has breathed life into Nuno Espirito Santo’s second stint in the second-tier, having previously romped to the league title with Wolves almost a decade ago.

They have an extremely strong squad and yet there have remained certain concerns about their performance level in those three matches, particularly the topsy-turvy victory in Lancashire against The Trotters - though it's abundantly clear that Nuno's men are hitting stride.

Something seemed off about West Ham in that game and a lack of depth for the focal point up top is something that could be pointed toward – and missing out on Parrott could indeed eventually prove to be an even bigger blow than it already initially seemed.

Joe Cole lavishes praise on former West Ham target Troy Parrott

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In midweek, as West Ham battled their way to a hard-fought victory at the Toughsheet Community Stadium against newly-promoted Bolton, Troy Parrott was making his mark in the UEFA Champions League.

Similarly to West Ham, Parrott’s new club also came from behind to win 3-2 as Real Betis defeated Lille at Stade Pierre-Mauroy to mark their first game back in Europe’s elite club competition for the first time in 21 years with a victory.

After a Marc Bartra brace had levelled things for Los Verdiblancos in Northern France, a smart piece of play and finish from Parrott gave Betis a lead that they clung on to.

Having opted to move to Seville from AZ Alkmaar this summer, rather than return to England and join West Ham, Parrott has begun life extremely well in Spain and former West Ham player Joe Cole lavished him with praise, suggesting he could go on to earn a mega money move relatively soon – which is something that will pain West Ham owner Daniel Kretinsky after missing out on the Republic of Ireland international.

Cole said: “You don’t know what the situation was when he was at Spurs. You know, was he low on confidence? Did he get the right opportunities?

“The talent is clearly there and credit to him where he’s gone away, developed, proven himself.

“If he carries on in this vein you know the big guns will be circling.”

Troy Parrott is set to become a key figure in La Liga for Real Betis

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Having come through the academy at Tottenham after moving from Irish schoolboy club Belvedere as a youngster, Parrott experienced a mixed time of it with loan spells in the EFL.

Failing to make much of an impression at either Millwall or Ipswich Town was then followed by improved but still relatively underwhelming stints at Milton Keynes Dons and Preston North End.

Parrott then moved to the Netherlands where he scored ten goals in 25 Eredivisie appearances for eventually relegated Excelsior in Rotterdam. As a result, Parrott earned a move to AZ Alkmaar.

At AZ, Parrott went on to score 51 goals in 97 matches across all competitions and established himself as the key man for Ireland as they narrowly missed out on qualification for FIFA World Cup 2026 with a famous match-winning hat-trick in Budapest against Hungary to send them through to the play-offs.

This summer saw Betis beat West Ham to his signature for a fee believed to be in the region of £17.15 million – with that being the only fee of above £15 million paid for a player in La Liga outside of Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid in this summer’s transfer window.

A few days prior to his heroics in Lille, Parrott scored the winning goal in a 1-0 defeat of Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid at La Cartuja in a dramatic encounter – and he is quickly establishing himself as a cult hero down in Andalusia already.

West Ham do still have good firepower for the Championship

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Despite missing out on Troy Parrott, West Ham do still have immense firepower for the level with England international and club captain Jarrod Bowen opting to remain at the London Stadium this season.

Bowen, who scored a brace to help West Ham scramble past Bolton, is ably supported by the likes of January addition Taty Castellanos and Parrott’s alternative Joel Piroe.

One concern, though, would be that Piroe’s fitness may not be where Nuno would ideally want it, given that the Suriname international striker was rested so early on in the season away at Bolton.

Piroe, who has previously thrived in the Championship, and Castellanos may well be enough firepower to ensure West Ham