Witney Gazette

The 22-year-old was one of 10 players who left Oxford at the end of their contract in May after two years in OX4.

Knightbridge acted as a third-choice keeper during his time with the U's but never made a first team appearance.

The former England youth international has now signed for Premier League club Spurs after coming up through the academy of rivals West Ham United.

He will link up with the club's Under-21 setup.

The young shot-stopper had reportedly been on trial with National League outfit Southend United earlier this summer.

During his time at Oxford, Knightbridge was sent out on loan on two occasions with short-term spells at Braintree Town and AFC Totton, playing twice for the former and six times for the latter.

Spurs are currently fighting for their lives in the Premier League and have a large injury list including forward players such as Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons, and Dominic Solanke.

Currently in the relegation zone with the threat of Championship football next season a real possibility, fans of the London club have called for the early return of some of their players who are currently out on loan.

One of these names is The U's Will Lankshear who was named Men's Young Player of the Year and Men's Golden Boot winner at Oxford's awards evening on Sunday.

With 12 goals in all competitions for a struggling Yellows outfit, some Spurs have called for Lankshear to be recalled from OX4 now that their fate this campaign is decided - Matt Bloomfield's men were relegated to League One last weekend.

The Premier League confirmed to football.london that players cannot return and play for their parent clubs before the season ends.

Football.london stated: "Premier League loan players are essentially de-registered from the parent club and re-registered elsewhere and that cannot change back until the next registration period opens, which in this case would be the summer transfer window.

"The guidance is that other than the early recall of a goalkeeper in exceptional circumstances, no other player on a long-term loan - full or half season - will be permitted to return to their parent club outside of a transfer window and play first team football.

"So if a loan recall happens outside a window, the player may train but not be eligible for matches until the next registration period unless special exceptions exist."

There was a possibility that the centre forward, who spent the second half of last season on loan with Oxford's Championship rivals West Bromwich Albion, could have left the Kassam in January.

Interest arrived from top Championship clubs such as Middlesbrough and Ipswich Town, with Boro reportedly offering a loan-to-buy deal in the winter window.

Lankshear, however, opted to continue with the The Yellows and rejected offers from those sides pushing for promotion to the Premier League.

Wrexham and their Hollywood owners were also reportedly interested in the Spurs starlet's services, but Lankshear's love and commitment to The U's proved too influential in his decision.

The attacker bowed out in style in his last home fixture for Oxford, scoring a remarkable brace as his helped his loan side to a 4-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.

Spurs will reportedly scrap plans to send the striker back out on loan next season should they be relegated from the Premier League.

The 20-year-old is set to be given a chance to impress new boss Roberto De Zerbi, according to SportsBoom, if worst comes to worst for the North London club, with Lankshear becoming a fan favourite and standout star for the relegation-battling U's.

Lankshear has bagged 10 goals and three assists in a season of struggle for the Yellows and has played 43 times in a breakout season for the youngster who is on loan until the end of the season.

It was recently reported that the centre forward turned down moves to higher-placed Championship sides in January in order to see out the fight for survival in OX4, further endearing himself to the U's faithful.

Lankshear's parent club Spurs are currently fighting for their lives in the Premier League, sitting 17th and one point above the bottom three.

Staff at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium are apparently convinced that the England Under-20 international has both the experience and pedigree to stake a claim for a regular first-team role.

The Lilywhites recently appointed former Brighton and Marseille boss De Zerbi on a five-year contract, replacing Igor Tudor in an effort to stave of relegation, with the Italian seemingly trusted to steady the ship if the club does go down.

The 20-year-old is a Spurs academy graduate, and won’t be available tomorrow when the U’s welcome Peterborough United in the Carabao Cup.

He is though expected to be in contention when United visit Coventry City in Sky Bet Championship action on Friday night.

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Scarlett made his Spurs debut in November 2020, coming on as a substitute in a 4-0 win against Bulgarian side Ludogorets in a Europa League group stage clash.

His debut saw him become Spurs’ youngest ever player, although that accolade has since been taken from him.

Scarlett made two more appearances during the 2020/21 season, and a further seven the following campaign.

In October 2021, he scored a penalty for Tottenham’s Under-21s in a 3-2 defeat against the U’s in the EFL Trophy.

Scarlett joined Portsmouth on a season-long loan for the 2022/23 campaign, and scored six times in 40 appearances across all competitions.

Last season, he spent time on loan at Ipswich Town, but was recalled by Spurs in December after making 12 appearances, all from the bench.

He featured six times for Spurs before the end of the campaign, and is contracted with the Premier League team until 2027.

United have reportedly beaten fellow Championship side Sunderland to Scarlett’s signature.

Reports suggest United are in talks to add the 19-year-old centre forward on loan, with Donley also attracting interest from other clubs in Sky Bet Championship, plus some sides in League One.

Donley made his senior Spurs debut as a late substitute for Brennan Johnson during a 3-3 draw at Manchester City in December.

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He was again a late substitute, this time for Son Heung-min, when Spurs beat Newcastle United 4-1 a week later.

Donley gained further experience from the bench as Tottenham beat Burnley 1-0 in the third round of the Emirates FA Cup, and in a 3-2 win at home to Brentford at the end of January.

The left-footer was born in Northern Ireland and has been at Tottenham since the age of eight.