Roberto De Zerbi will be wondering why Johan Lange sold Tottenham Hotspur's only natural goalscorer this summer.
Will Lankshear showed Tottenham Hotspur exactly what they're missing out on, again, at the weekend. The 21-year-old striker, whom the Lilywhites sold in the summer, fired Middlesbrough to a 1-0 win over QPR at Loftus Road on Saturday afternoon, dragging Kim Hellberg's side into second place in the Championship.
Lankshear found the net inside the opening half an hour, darting past Jimmy Dunne at the back post to latch onto a daisy-cutting cross into the six-yard box. If Spurs hadn't already rued the decision to cash in on the England Under-20 international, they certainly will now.
The youngster, whom Middlesbrough recently signed for just an initial £8million, plus a further £12m in performance-based add-ons, has now scored seven goals in seven appearances across all competitions, establishing himself as one of the most promising young strikers in the country.
Ironically, Lankshear showed far more desire and energy in West London while nursing a stomach bug than many of Roberto De Zerbi's troops in the East Midlands. Speaking to reporters after the game, Hellberg reflected on the former Tottenham prospect's performance.
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As quoted by The Yorkshire Post, the Middlesbrough boss said: "Will was a little bit sick in the night. He felt a bit better in the morning. It was questionable if I could start him.
"I think you could see that his energy was a little bit lower. I always knew that the energy was going to run out. But in the six-yard box, his movement is very good."
Meanwhile, the Lilywhites were held to a goalless draw by Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, making them just one of three clubs still yet to score a goal in the Premier League this season. Spurs struggled to at least hit the target, having not done so from seven attempts, but Lankshear scored his seventh of the season.
Had Tottenham not sold the Englishman, they might have already found the net this term. Last month, Scott Chickelday, who has worked closely with Lankshear over the last two years, drew comparisons to Harry Kane.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the striker coach said of Lankshear: "He has got all the finishes in the book. He has got the little flicks around the corner, tap-ins, headers, volleys. Just an all-round number nine, and there are not many around at the minute.
"His finishing is incredible. I tell people, and they laugh at me, but this boy is the closest thing I have seen to Harry Kane. He never gets to take them, but he is a really good free-kick taker.
"Sometimes you come out of the session, and you are like, this one is special. You just get that feeling. It is his mentality. He wants to be the best. He wants to be the number one striker in England.
"And then obviously he wants to be the number one in the world too. And I really would not be surprised in two years' time if he is Harry Kane's replacement."