Bizarre UEFA rule forces Tottenham to block Burnley and Charlton target Troy Parrott leaving on loan

Bizarre UEFA rule forces Tottenham to block Troy Parrott’s loan move because of his birth date… and striker’s exit could have damaged their Champions League ambitions!

  • Burnley and Charlton were among clubs hoping to sign Troy Parrott on loan 
  • Jose Mourinho said the Spurs man was ‘not ready’ and needed game time 
  • However, Spurs were forced to stop the move due to a UEFA home-grown law  

Tottenham striker Troy Parrott was blocked from leaving on loan due to an obscure UEFA rule that would have damaged the club’s Champions League ambitions.

The 17-year-old was targeted by a host of clubs, primarily Burnley and Charlton, last month and both Spurs and Parrott saw the benefit of the forward leaving to play first-team football, particularly after Jose Mourinho admitted he felt the academy graduate was ‘not ready’ to step up to the first-team. 

But a bizarre UEFA ruling in relation to homegrown players resulted in Spurs vetoing any loan move, effectively meaning he couldn’t leave because of his birth date.

Troy Parrott’s loan move away from Spurs had to be blocked because of a bizarre UEFA rule

The striker and Spurs were keen on him to leave on loan with Burnley and Charlton interested

 The striker and Spurs were keen on him to leave on loan with Burnley and Charlton interested

Parrott will have to wait on the sidelines so that he can be eligible as a home-grown player

Parrott will have to wait on the sidelines so that he can be eligible as a home-grown player

To qualify for UEFA’s Champions League B list as a homegrown player, Parrott has to complete two continuous years at Tottenham.

But because he signed from Irish side Belvedere on his 16th birthday – February 4, 2018 – the two years required to be completed by Parrot will not conclude until he turns 18 on Tuesday.

Therefore, if he had left for another club on loan on Friday, even in England, he would have fallen short of the required two year period, which meant Parrott would have to complete another consecutive two-year period until he could qualify as a homegrown player on the B list according to UEFA laws.

This news will disappoint Republic of Ireland boss Mick McCarthy, who gave Parrott his senior international debut in November’s 3-1 win over New Zealand.

It is a blow for Ireland boss Mick McCarthy, who would've wanted him to get first-team action

It is a blow for Ireland boss Mick McCarthy, who would’ve wanted him to get first-team action

Parrott made his Premier League debut this season for Spurs in the 5-0 thrashing of Burnley

Parrott made his Premier League debut this season for Spurs in the 5-0 thrashing of Burnley

Parrott made his Spurs debut in the Carabao Cup tie at Colchester in September and played in the Premier League for the first time in Tottenham’s 5-0 thrashing of Burnley in December.

In both the Champions League and Europa League, UEFA require clubs to submit two lists – A and B – to their national associations at the start of the season.

On the A list, there is a maximum of 25 players. There must also be a minimum of eight places reserved exclusively for ‘locally trained players’ who have been in that country for three years aged between 15 and 21.

Clubs can have as many homegrown players on their B list born after January 1, 1995 but they need to have been at the club for two straight years.



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