Ryan Mason is set for a tricky start in senior management following his departure from Tottenham.
Mason recently ended his long association with Tottenham, both as a player and a coach, to fill the vacant managerial position at Championship side West Bromwich Albion.
The Baggies missed out on the play-off places by just four points last season, and decided to appoint the former Spurs midfielder to start a new era in the Midlands.
Mason would have hoped to be able to come back to Tottenham for some assistance, but it does not seem as though the 34-year-old has received the outcome he was looking for.
Will Lankshear to remain at Spurs next season
Mason’s involvement in various positions within the backroom staff at Tottenham over the last seven years has naturally seen him linked with a handful of Spurs players.
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One name on his list is Will Lankshear, who spent the second half of last season on loan at The Hawthorns, where he made 11 appearances.
As reported by Football London (26 June), West Brom, as well as other clubs in the Championship and abroad, are interested in taking Lankshear on loan.
However, Thomas Frank wants to take a look at the striker first.
Lankshear’s crowning moment came when he scored against Galatasaray in the UEFA Europa League group stages last season before being sent off in the same game and leaving in January to join the Baggies.
Damola Ajayi’s recent departure to Doncaster Rovers shows that some young players will still be available to Mason, but Tottenham’s stance on Lankshear will be a blow to their former employee.
Lankshear’s last chance at Spurs
Tottenham fans have been craving for a player to rise through the ranks and make a telling impact on the first team, just as Harry Kane once did.
While the England captain’s boots are too big to fill, there were high hopes in N17 for Lankshear’s prospects.
The young striker has the physicality required for the Premier League and will now have Frank, who is a specialist in developing forward players, to guide him.
However, his loan spell at The Hawthorns did not go according to plan, and the 20-year-old will have to prove his worth fairly quickly next season if he is to retain Tottenham’s aspirations for him.