Yikes, this is the kind of transfer update I do NOT like. According to Alasdair Gold, Tottenham Hotspur are currently in “advanced talks” with Championship side Middlesbrough for the permanent transfer of Will Lankshear.
No more details than that at the present, but… man, I kinda hate this move if it happens. BIG WILLY LANKS hasn’t broken through yet into Spurs’ first team, but he’s coming off a pretty great loan with a bad Oxford United side and at least to my eyes he has a lot in common with a young Harry Kane. That doesn’t mean he’s Kane 2.0, clearly, but he’s also both homegrown and club-trained, and with the club only having two recognized strikers on its roster you can make a strong case that Lankshear could get a shot as a reserve striker this season.
But no? Apparently we’d rather sell him for a profit. This implies that either Spurs aren’t as high on Big Willy as I am, or they’re getting an offer they can’t refuse. And actually, they might — while Boro’s all-time transfer record fee is £15 for Britt Assombalonga in 2017, they just got a huge sell-on windfall from the sale of Morgan Rogers, so perhaps they’re willing to make a big splash for Lankshear.
This still seems very short-sighted from Spurs. Lankshear has value beyond his playing ability and selling a home-grown/club-trained striker when we’re trying to get back into European competition just seems pretty silly. Let’s hope it’s a big (for Boro) fee with a sell-on and a price matching clause, because otherwise I’m going to be very, very mad.