The Irish forward, signed from AZ Alkmaar for €16m plus a further €4m in variables, has repaid the club's faith with two decisive goals: the winner against Real Madrid at La Cartuja and the strike that completed Betis's comeback win away at Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday.
His impact stretches well beyond the goals themselves. Parrott has given Manuel Pellegrini's attack a profile distinct from Cucho Hernandez's, combining physical power with the ability to attack space in behind defences, finish with either foot or his head, and win individual duels with regularity — an old-fashioned number nine whose movement offers Betis solutions in both positional attack and transition.
The Dubliner's breakthrough has generated a striking response back in Ireland and in Britain, where he began his career at Tottenham. Pundits and former players are discussing his emergence in Spain on prime-time British television, questioning why he never made it at Tottenham and suggesting he could soon return to Premier League radars if his progress continues.
Real Betis are already fielding interview requests from prominent British and English-language outlets — precisely the communications plan the club had hoped for, and one they protected with a €100m release clause, revealed by El Desmarque, in case offers arrive from England.
Hector Bellerin has played an important role in Parrott's settling-in process. The Catalan full-back, who speaks fluent English from his years at Arsenal and understands British football intimately, has become his personal guide and one of the team-mates who looks after him most closely in the dressing room.
Betis have also found in Parrott a grounded, family-oriented character. He arrived in Seville with his mother, siblings and girlfriend, Lauren Bowry, with his partner and one of his brothers travelling independently to Lille this week to watch his goal and an unforgettable win in person, mixed among Betis's travelling supporters marking the club's return to Europe's top competition after more than 20 years.
Among those following his progress closely is Robbie Keane, Ireland's all-time record goalscorer, who retains a special fondness for Parrott and has recently asked after how he is getting on at Betis. Keane has known him since he was a teenager in Tottenham's academy; in 2019, while part of the Irish national team's coaching staff, he travelled to London specifically to learn more about Parrott's situation and character, and has followed his progress ever since.
In four appearances, Parrott has gone from missing chances against Valencia and Levante to being decisive against Real Madrid and Lille. The road is long and his form will need to be sustained, but Betis are already seeing the impact, and the international spotlight, that his signing has brought them.