Will Lankshear is a player in demand. One season removed from an impressive loan at at bad Championship side in Oxford United where he scored 11 goals and notched 2 assists as a striker, Tottenham Hotspur have now had to reject three “approaches” for him from Sporting, Southampton, and Wolves, according to Alasdair Gold in Football.London.
You can understand why. BIG WILLY LANKS is impressing in the English second division, and now at age 21 he’s nearing the point where Spurs will either need to integrate
him into the first team, or sell him. Based on the current evidence, Tottenham seem to be signalling that they’re not that interested in the latter option.
Or are they? Gold notes, correctly, that “approaches” are not the same thing as actual bids, and if a club is serious about bringing in Big Willy this summer they’ll likely have to pony up a transfer fee in the eight figures. That’s good money for a player who hasn’t proved himself at the Premier League level, and Gold implies the club may have to put some thought into what they want to do with him.
It’s not the easiest of decisions. Lankshear’s value to Spurs is not just his potential as a first team striker — he’s also both homegrown and club-trained, making him an invaluable squad player should Spurs qualify for European competition next season. The jury’s still out on Lankshear’s ceiling — he’s a big, strong striker who thrives on service and he did a good job despite playing on an Oxford team that played some absolute terror-ball tactics last season. He could explode given the right chance, or he could level out at Championship/lower-level Premier League striker. But I still feel it’s too soon to say.
Lankshear is probably not too keen on another loan this upcoming season after spending the past two seasons out at West Brom and Oxford. That said, it’s also not clear how much game time he’s going to get if he sticks around Tottenham, with two senior strikers ahead of him and the possibility that Roberto De Zerbi might demand another one (possibly replacing Richy). Gold also notes that Spurs’ decision on BIG WILLY LANKS might also impact what they do with the OTHER talented U23 striker on their books — 18-year-old Irish full international forward Mason Melia.
For that reason, it probably makes the most sense for Spurs to keep Lankshear around for at least most of the preseason. Take him on the tour to Australia and New Zealand. Throw him into the squad in a couple more friendlies, see how he does. It’s possible the results of that could influence Spurs’ decision on what to do with him longer term. Since they don’t appear keen on selling him, then give him a raise and a loan to a good club in the Champo or Bundesliga.
That said, who knows — we might have another diamond in the rough on our hands. Or, as one member of Carty Free’s Slack channel put it, “He’s had a better loan career than Harry Kane, so it stands to reason he’ll have a better senior career as well.” I’ll buy that for a dollar.
