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"It is a shame that he is going to leave us, but for me it is a great chance to show myself. He deserves a good move. And then it is my time." If there was any doubt that Troy Parrott was definitely leaving AZ Alkmaar before the transfer window shuts, his team-mate Mexx Meerdink inadvertently let the news slip at the weekend. In fairness to the Dutch striker, Parrott departing the Eredivisie club was more of a question of 'where to next?' rather than 'if'. The Republic of Ireland striker has been linked with a host of clubs in recent weeks, including a West Ham side looking to stage an immediate return to the Premier League over the coming season. However, that possibility appears to have dissipated and if the latest reports are accurate, it's the sunny climes of southern Spain rather than the East End of London that awaits the Dubliner. The destination appears to be Real Betis, who will be in this season's Champions League after finishing fifth in La Liga last season. The club from Seville beat Arsenal in a pre-season friendly at Aviva Stadium earlier this month and are managed by ex-Real Madrid, Manchester City and Villarreal boss Manuel Pellegrini. Any move has the potential for risk or reward for Parrott, who has thrived in the Dutch top flight. But reacting to the prospect of a transfer to Betis, RTÉ soccer analyst Alan Cawley said it appeared to be a good move on paper. "I think it's a good one because of the manager that's there - hugely experienced and will look after him," he said on this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast. Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. "I watched Betis in the friendly against Arsenal and they were brilliant. I know it was only a pre-season friendly but (they have) the likes of Isco, a player who played at Real Madrid, so they have a couple of standout players as well. "And the fact that they have had a very good season in La Liga last season and now they're in the Champions League, he'd be playing Champions League football as well. "You would expect him to carry on the form of what they had last year, and they'd be at the top end of the premier division over there. "So I think that would be a good move for him." They have one pure centre-forward on their books in the shape of Colombian striker Cucho Hernandez, which with a host of games across the competitions, should offer plenty of minutes. While that could play to Parrott's favour, ex-Ireland winger Keith Treacy also warned of the risks entailed with a radical change in environment. "That's what we're all hoping," he said. "But there's another side where he goes to Betis and it doesn't really click and it becomes a bit bogged down and he doesn't play and then he's back in the Ireland jersey and that confidence is gone and we're all back to square one thinking the shining light is not the shining light anymore. "That's the last thing we all want to happen. Troy has a big smile on his face playing for AZ. "I've been in this boat where I've jumped ship because it's the right thing for my career and the financial rewards and a better level of football, and you go there and you're not as happy as (you were). "The standard is a little bit higher and a little bit tougher. I was at Belvedere a couple of months ago when Troy scored the goals for Ireland in the play-offs and there were a couple of AZ media people over and they were basically doing background on Troy and where he grew up. "I just got talking to them and asked what's his day-to-day life like over (in the Netherlands) and they said he loves it. "He walks around the street, he doesn't really get bothered. It's a really easy sort of lifestyle. That won't be the case if he goes to England or he goes to Real Betis." Meanwhile, Cawley also expressed doubt about whether a switch to the Championship with West Ham would have been best for the 24-year-old. "I was always wary of the whole West Ham thing, coming back to London, English football again, the physical nature of it," he said. "He's obviously experienced the more technical side over in the Netherlands, banging in goals as well. "And it's not the be-all and end-all to be back in England. Financially it was probably going to be rewarding to go to West Ham. "But I'm sure if he goes to Betis, he would be rewarded financially as well. But for him, if I was advising him, I'd be looking at it more from a football side of things rather than a money side. "The progress that he's made, you would hate to take two steps forward and taking two steps back where if he went to a club where he's not going to play regularly, there's more scrutiny and there's more pressure and if you don't score (the fans) are on you. "West Ham have big expectations to get back into the Premier League. It wouldn't concern me if he went to Betis and I think it would be a decent move." Watch Celtic v LASK in the Champions League play-off round on Wednesday from 7.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences