Tottenham have made their position clear on Will Lankshear. Three fresh approaches, from Sporting, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton, have been rejected, and that tells you plenty. Clubs do not come forward with serious interest in a 21-year-old striker unless they think there is either immediate value or a bigger return down the line. Right now, Spurs appear to believe both apply.
According to Football London, the interested sides explored deals in the “eight-figure package range” and those proposals included either a permanent move or “a loan move with an obligation to buy”. Tottenham said no across the board. That is a strong signal, and a sensible one.
Lankshear’s stock has risen properly over the past year. During his first loan spell at Oxford United, he scored 12 goals in a struggling side, won their men’s golden boot and collected the Young Player of the Year award. He also finished the campaign with 47 matches and 16 goal involvements. For a young striker in a relegated Championship team, those are not inflated numbers. They are hard-earned numbers.
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That matters because context matters. A forward scoring in a dominant side is one thing. A forward producing while his team is fighting the tide every week tells you more about resilience, movement and mentality. Tottenham already had reason to rate him after he “scored in the Europa League and made three Premier League appearances”. Now they have more evidence.
The next step is straightforward in theory, harder in practice. Lankshear has “returned to pre-season work at Hotspur Way, bulked up by the physical demands of the Championship”. De Zerbi will now assess him at close range before the summer tour to New Zealand and Australia. That line from the report, “a decision may be made on what comes next for him before the club’s summer tour”, is the key one.
De Zerbi Faces Clear Tottenham Call
The complication is squad planning. “The Italian is expected to want…
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