Another one! We reported yesterday the sad news that Tottenham Hotspur had been in negotiations with several clubs, notably Middlesbrough, for the permanent transfer of young striker Will Lankshear. Today, Alasdair Gold (and others) are reporting an agreement has been reached for BIG WILLY LANKS — Spurs have accepted a £14m bid for Lankshear, with escalators that could make the final fee more than £20m.
Spurs purchased the then-17-year-old Lankshear for £2m in 2022 from Sheffield United’s academy. He spent two seasons in the academy before heading out on loan, first to West Brom in January 2025 for a half season, and then to Oxford United last season, where he scored 11 goals in 44 appearances for an Oxford club that got relegated from the Championship.
That’s put him on the radar of a bunch of clubs, mostly in the Championship. Boro finished fifth in the table and made the playoffs last season and are pushing to be in the mix to promote next season. Lankshear is a strong dude, a fox-in-the-box style goal poacher who will thrive on a team that gives him better service than Oxford did. If BIG WILLY meets his escalators, this could end up being Boro’s all-time most expensive signing. It’s a statement of intent for them, no question.
£14m-20m for a 21-year-old striker is good business, no matter how we feel about Lankshear. I like him a lot and I’m sad to see him go but it’s hard not to view this as a success for the academy, even if we’re not, at least for now, planning on bringing him through. This is breaking news so there aren’t any indications (yet) about any additional clauses, such as a sell-on or price matching buy-back clause, but it wouldn’t surprise me if we find out that they’re in place — those Manchester City-style “loans” are almost certainly the work of Rafi Moersen and will give Spurs options if Lankshear goes nova in the Championship and starts breaking out.
Lankshear still needs to agree personal terms with Middlesbrough so it’s not a done deal, but this sure seems like it’s going to happen. It’s excellent business for Spurs, especially in a period where Tottenham are clearly building to win now and not bring players through.
I’m still sad about it, though.
