Alan Hutton | Troy Parrott | West Ham | Will Lankshear | Middlesbrough
Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , former Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur favourite Alan Hutton has run the rule over the strikers and young players on the move this summer.
The former Scotland international has backed Troy Parrott to fire West Ham to the Championship title, hailed Will Lankshear as a potential future England number nine, and praised the loan model that keeps producing Tottenham talents.
Hutton has also explained why the loan model keeps producing Tottenham talents, and why Middlesbrough could prove the ideal launchpad for Lankshear to reach the very top.
Troy Parrott
What Could Parrott Offer West Ham?
Troy Parrott could be the player who wins West Ham the Championship title. I think he could be that good for them. He's already taken a big step in his career, a leap of faith in his own ability, to go over to the Netherlands , and he's really flourished out there, and he's enjoying his football, scoring goals, and playing in European competitions, as well as playing international football for Ireland .
He needed to take that step away from Tottenham Hotspur to develop and take himself to the next stage of his career, and he's done that and a lot of eyes are on him, and it's a decent fee for a player moving to a Championship club. I think they're talking about £18 million or so. I think he'd be worth it. The only question mark over West Ham is whether he should hold out for a Premier League move. I believe he's got the talent to play in the Premier League right now, so it'll be interesting to see what he decides to do. He knows London . He knows what it's all about. Maybe West Ham is attractive to him for those reasons, and I think he would fit in seamlessly and score them the goals to go straight back up as champions.
Should Everton and Newcastle Look at Parrott Too?
I think Troy Parrott should be looking at the three teams who have just been promoted to the Premier League . These are the teams that need goals more than any others to stay in the Premier League , and he's going to go into any of them playing every single game, hitting the ground running. Don't forget about Parrott 's overall game too. He is a well-rounded player. It's not just the goals he scores. It's everything else he brings too, running in behind, the pace he's got, and he can hold up the ball too.
I think you need all those attributes in your striker to keep a newly-promoted team up in the Premier League , but I think a player like Parrott suits a bigger club too, whether it's Everton or Newcastle or someone else. It's about where he is going to get the most games. He might enjoy a move to a club higher up the pecking order, but I think at this stage he needs to go to whoever will make him a regular starter.
The Loan Model
Can Mason Melia Make a Name For Himself at Lincoln City?
It's something Tottenham Hotspur have always been very good at, even from the time that I was there. You didn't see other clubs really using the loan system in that way, or at least not as much, but when I got to Tottenham I started noticing all these young players going out on loan, and I'd never really seen that before during my time at Rangers . It was all about getting experience in a proper competitive first-team environment with a view to come back to Tottenham and use what you learned out on loan to return and see if you could break through into the senior squad.
Look at Andros Townsend and Harry Kane and all the loan moves they got under their belts. Not all of them worked out, but eventually they settled in, got that experience and came back as better players, and better professionals. Of course, Harry Kane is Harry Kane . He is a generational talent, the likes of which don't come round every year, but it's a process that can benefit all players, and this is the model that has served Tottenham so well, and they've now got a great pool of talent. You look at the new stadium, the training ground, and it's no surprise it's a club young players want to join to play football and develop, and there's a number of players with real promise coming through now, like Mason Melia . Look at Will Lankshear , who has just left to join Middlesbrough , for another example. Look at the fee he's just been sold for, and he's a proper goalscorer. He'll be looking to go to the next level too. It's an interesting time to be a young Tottenham player on loan.
Will Lankshear
How Impressive Has Lankshear's Start at Middlesbrough Been?
Middlesbrough are a great club for Will Lankshear to show he's ready to play at an even higher level in the future. That is the stage that he's at now as a 21-year-old. He's gone out on loan, he came back to Tottenham Hotspur , and now he's a first-team player for Boro . The key was going to a club where he'd be playing and getting the minutes. He couldn't get that at Tottenham , so he decided he needed to leave, and I feel this is a good move for him at a level where he should be very comfortable.
He will score goals in the Championship , and Middlesbrough are a club that want to get promoted. I think it'll be the right environment for him to kick on, and he'll already be thinking to himself, if I go there and do well, I can go even higher. That's not disrespectful to Middlesbrough . He's just a very good player and a very good finisher who I believe will score at any level, wherever he is. I think he will stay there for a season or two, whether or not they get promoted, and if he can score goals at the rate we expect, I think there will be another big move put in front of him.
Is Lankshear Good Enough to Keep Boro Up if They Go Up?
That is the end game for Middlesbrough , and if they can get back up to the Premier League this season, in Will Lankshear they'll already have the striker they need for next season back in the top flight. That's why they've spent the money they have on him this summer, because they believe he can fit into that puzzle and be a key player for them whether they're in the Championship or the Premier League if they can finally clear that hurdle and get back up.
As a player you have to believe in yourself, and if Boro were to get back into the Premier League , Lankshear will back himself to score 10-plus goals, and if he were to do that, he'd have all sorts of eyes on him, and offers coming in. He's already got plenty of clubs keeping tabs on him and how he'll get on there this season, and they'll be more than willing to pay bigger fees if he is as good as they believe he can be. We talk about who can be the next Harry Kane for England . I believe if he keeps going, with the trajectory that he's on, he could reach that level.
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