As a result of the big-money overhaul of the Tottenham Hotspur senior ranks this summer, there was always going to be a knock-on effect for players already at the club.
Multiple first-team members had to be sold to make way for the new arrivals, which also stunted the progress of numerous talented youngsters in North London.
One player in particular has found it hard to break into the senior ranks over recent years, with many supporters calling for him to be handed a chance to showcase his talents.
Why Lankshear deserved more first-team chances at Spurs
After arriving from Sheffield United at the age of 17, huge expectations were placed on Will Lankshear to develop into a key performer for the Spurs senior ranks throughout his career.
However, after netting 23 goals in as many U18 Premier League games in 2023/24, the youngster was handed an opportunity to stake his claim for a first-team position.
He would have to wait until the following year to make his first senior appearance, subsequently scoring in the Europa League against Turkish giants Galatasaray.
Despite such a goal, he would only rack up six appearances under Ange Postecoglou and ultimately struggled to be handed consistent minutes despite the injury issues.
Such a decision was a baffling one for supporters, and the lack of senior opportunities no doubt contributed to his recent exit away from the North London outfit.
Why selling Lankshear was the wrong decision for Spurs
During the summer window, Spurs decided to allow Lankshear to depart the club to join Championship outfit Middlesbrough for a reported deal rising to £20m.
Such a move no doubt saw the club make a huge profit on their investment, but ultimately saw one of the club’s best young prospects depart the club for pastures new.
A little over four months on from his move to the Riverside and the 21-year-old has taken his career to new heights and demonstrated to the Lilywhites the mistake they made in letting him leave.
The youngster has already scored 13 times in as many games in the Championship, which sees him sit three goals clear at the top of the goalscoring charts at present.
|
Championship top scorers (2026/27) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Club |
Goals |
|
Will Lankshear |
Middlesbrough |
13 |
|
Andri Guðjohnsen |
Blackburn |
10 |
|
Jack Moylan |
Cardiff City |
10 |
|
Jarrod Bowen |
West Ham |
7 |
|
Cyle Larin |
Southampton |
7 |
|
Fer López |
Wolves |
6 |
|
Isaac Price |
West Brom |
6 |
|
August Priske |
Birmingham |
6 |
|
Sam Dalby |
Bolton |
6 |
Across all competitions, Lankshear has netted a remarkable 15 times in his 16 competitive outings, with the hierarchy no doubt rueing their call to allow him to depart.
Why Spurs made a bigger mistake than selling Lankshear
Allowing youngsters to leave is always a tricky call as you run the risk of letting them depart without seeing their full potential unfold before making a move elsewhere.
The deal for Lankshear has the potential to go the wrong way for Spurs, especially if he can keep up or even better his recent goalscoring exploits in the Championship.
However, it wasn’t the biggest mistake made by the board this summer, with the move to allow Luka Vušković to join Brighton & Hove Albion certainly a bigger mistake.
The Croatian joined the Seagulls for a deal in the region of £50m including add-ons, which saw the Lilywhites make a £38m profit without the defender ever playing for the club.
On the face of such a deal, it appears to be excellent business, but the 19-year-old is already excelling at the AMEX and is now looking like a leading Premier League defender.
He’s already started every game for Fabian Hurzeler’s men this term, which has seen the Seagulls sit second in England’s top-flight after the first ten matches.
Vuskovic’s stats from the ongoing campaign demonstrate his quality and highlight why he’s a player who was undoubtedly sold too prematurely by Spurs.
He’s managed to complete 90% of the passes he’s attempted this campaign, with such a figure including an average of 11.1 line-breaking passes per 90.
The aforementioned figures showcase his phenomenal ability to play out from the back – a quality Roberto De Zerbi demands from his current centre-backs.
Without the ball, Vuskovic has also caught the eye, as seen by his remarkable average of 4.2 aerials won and 4.3 ball recoveries made per 90 in England’s top-flight.
Both of the aforementioned figures rank him in the top 20% of all defenders in the Premier League and back up Jacek Kulig’s claim that he’s already a “world-class” talent.
Given his sensational form in recent weeks, there’s no denying that staff in North London are questioning whether they made the right call in allowing the youngster to leave.
He and Lankshear are two players who will no doubt have top careers at the very top of English football, but the Spurs faithful will now have to watch them achieve their goals away from their beloved club.
