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Will Lankshear has surely already done enough to prove he deserves his big chance at Tottenham Hotspur under Roberto De Zerbi next season.

Lankshear scored his 10th goal of the season for Oxford United in their pulsating 2-2 draw with fellow Championship strugglers Portsmouth on Monday afternoon.

The 20-year-old striker has impressed during his loan stint at the Kassam Stadium this campaign, showcasing his quality during their bid to beat the drop.

His superb diving header put the U’s 2-1 up at Fratton Park in the six-pointer, only for Andre Dozzell’s equaliser three minutes from time to wrestle the headlines away from him.

Still, his heroics in the second tier will have caught the eye of Tottenham as they draw up their transfer plans for 2025-26, and promisingly, there also looks to be more to come.

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How did Will Lankshear play for Oxford United?

Lankshear completed his temporary switch to Oxford back in August, having been shipped out to gain regular first-team minutes after a poor spell with West Bromwich Albion.

He had not been able to register a single goal contribution in his 11 matches with the Baggies, but now, he is in the midst of a red-hot streak at his current club.

This would have placed him back on Tottenham’s radar, while De Zerbi will also have taken note. Indeed, his statistics against Portsmouth point to an ace who takes his chances.

In fact, he scored with his only shot in his 90-minute runout, having fed off scraps.

According to Sofascore, Lankshear attempted just seven passes and took 30 touches.

However, there were also plenty of signs that he remains far from the finished article. The youngster lost possession 13 times and won two of his 12 ground duels.

His immediate future at Spurs is likely to hinge on the league they find themselves in next season, but at the very least, he deserves to be in and around the first-team picture.

With Dominic Solanke and Richarlison hardly ripping up trees, and Randal Kolo Muani to leave in the summer, there should be ample opportunities for Lankshear to stake his claim.

Lankshear attracting transfer interest

While De Zerbi will, of course, be prioritising the squad currently at his disposal, he will have one eye on the 18 first-teamers currently out on loan.

Among them, Lankshear is shining brightly.

Regardless, Lankshear could still leave Tottenham at the end of the season, with Middlesbrough and Wrexham closely monitoring him, according to Football League World.

The striker is highly rated at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, having made a name for himself in the academy after arriving from Sheffield United back in 2022.

He is tied down to a long-term contract until 2029, leaving Spurs very much in control of his future. Either way, the time has come to integrate him into the senior crop.

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ENIC are committed to Tottenham Hotspur for the long-term despite the club’s crisis.

In a damning indictment of the ownership, Spurs are teetering on the brink of relegation from the Premier League and have tasked new head coach Roberto De Zerbi with securing safety.

But the situation off the pitch appears to be just as perilous, with the latest financial accounts revealing a sharp rise in debt, despite total revenue and extra income increasing.

Daniel Levy’s shock ousting last summer led to fresh speculation that the Lewis family would look to sell up, but they look determined to cling on.

All that is certain is that ENIC have had financial issues since taking control of the club.

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Claude Littner speaks out on ENIC plans

Since arriving in 2001, the owners have presided over a shambolic handling of the coffers.

Money, when it has been splashed, has too often been thrown at poorly chosen targets, all while bigwigs have bagged exorbitant bonuses, and it only seems to be getting worse.

Tottenham have been predicted to suffer a loss of around £250million should they drop into the Championship. This would be crippling for ENIC, but they’re still going nowhere.

That is the opinion of former club CEO Claude Littner, who worked closely with Lord Sugar during the 1990s before resigning from the position in 2001.

Alongside a prayer emoji, Littner wrote on X: I believe they [ENIC] are in for the long term. Just my view, but pray they really invest in top quality players.”

If proven correct, this would be the worst-case scenario for supporters who have long lambasted the Lewis family’s running of the club – and rightly so.

Could ENIC change their minds and sell up?

At present, ENIC are holding firm despite the vocal criticism from the stands.

Their latest misstep saw them leave the decision over Igor Tudor’s future to CEO Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange, washing their hands of the situation.

Now, they are reportedly plotting a wide-sweeping dressing room overhaul for the summer, tangible proof that they have no plans to surrender their majority stake.

This is despite past interest from Brooklyn Earick’s US-based consortium, who were open to making a £4.5billion offer. The world-record approach was rebuffed in October.

It truly appears, then, that Spurs are rigidly sticking to the status quo.

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Dante Cassanova has impressed consistently for Tottenham Hotspur‘s Under-21s.

Minutes for youth stars have been hard to come by this season, and given the risk of relegation, that is hardly surprising.

However, from James Wilson to Tynan Thompson, Spurs fans have a whole host of youngsters to get excited about in the near future.

Several of them may get their chance to impress in pre-season, and then potentially in the fresh campaign, while others may get loan moves to aid their development.

Cassanova may be one who leaves Tottenham on loan, and after the season he has had, it would be the right call.

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How has Dante Cassanova fared in Premier League 2?

At 21 years old, the Under-21s is far from the best place for Cassanova to be playing his football, though that is the situation that has faced him this season.

He’s made 19 appearances for Spurs this season, including 16 in the Premier League 2, with one goal and four assists to his name.

However, it’s his underlying numbers that draw the most attention to his game, with Cassanova having completed 718 passes this season, which is a stat bettered by just 1.8 per cent of midfielders.

His pass accuracy comes in at 88.4 per cent, showcasing the composure on the ball, having also pulled his weight defensively.

Cassanova played a starring role as Spurs Under-21s secured a 3-2 victory against West Ham, and if he can maintain that level of performance, he may well have a future here.

Cassanova’s contract situation examined

Come the end of the campaign, Cassanova will have just one year left on his deal in North London, making this summer a crucial one.

He’s almost guaranteed to get no access to first-team minutes next season, meaning a loan has to be the next move for him.

It may be his last chance to impress; should that be the case, the midfielder is likely playing for a new deal at Tottenham by then.

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Tottenham Hotspur youngster Jamie Donley has been backed to have an impact on Roberto De Zerbi in the summer.

Donley is currently on loan with Oxford United, but previously spent time with Stoke City, and has notched one goal and two assists in 15 matches.

De Zerbi will be looking to overhaul his squad to get into the best possible position for the new campaign, and that could give the 21-year-old an opportunity.

The Northern Ireland gem has already made an impression on the international stage, scoring the opening goal in his nation’s 1-1 draw with Wales on 31 March.

Tottenham have handed many opportunities to academy starlets in recent years, and Donley should be the next man up.

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Donley tipped for chance to impress De Zerbi

Tottenham’s Donley suffered an injury on his Oxford debut, but he has recently bounced back.

John Wenham believes that he could be set for a chance under De Zerbi if he can prove himself with the Yellows, then in pre-season.

Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: “Jamie Donley, who is at Oxford, I was really pleased to see him get the opening goal from Northern Ireland away to Wales.

“He was starting as a striker, he’s been sort of converted as a number 10 over the last 18 months, but all his years in Tottenham’s academy, he was the best academy striker we had coming through.

“He’s someone I’ve got very, very high hopes for at Spurs, he’s already made four first team appearances under Ange Postecoglou, coming on away at Man City and that kind of thing, but I think his reading and vision of the game is already at a Premier League level.

“This pre-season under De Zerbi, coming as a new manager, massive for him, but he needs to finish this season strong with Oxford, because unfortunately, the Stoke manager at the start of the season wasted six months of his development, promising him that he’d be a starting player, and meant he turned down multiple other championship clubs to go to Stoke, and then they let him down massively.”

Why Tottenham fans should share Wenham’s high hopes for Donley

The way that Donley took his goal against the Dragons will be encouraging for Spurs supporters, as he showed the composure and wherewithal that is needed to thrive at the top level.

His initial header hit the post, before the Spurs academy graduate chested it down and finished calmly to put his country ahead.

Unfortunately, they could not hold on for the victory, but it proved that Donley could be a future star for the Lilywhites.

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Tottenham Hotspur could be set to lose Cristian Romero in the summer.

The Argentina international has been a virtual ever-present for the Lilywhites ever since his move from Juventus in 2021.

His disciplinary record has certainly raised eyebrows and has led to plenty of criticism being aimed at the central defender in North London.

That has gotten louder this season, as Spurs face the very real threat of relegation, while he has picked up two red cards in the Premier League.

It now appears that Romero has a release clause at Tottenham, and we have assessed what we know about his contract situation.

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What is Cristian Romero’s contract situation at Tottenham?

There’s no doubt that the 27-year-old is one of the Lilywhites’ best players and has helped contribute to what has been good in N17 recently.

He has been a regular under every head coach and, as captain, has taken responsibility for plenty of the goings on this campaign.

That hasn’t always gone down well in North London and beyond, with his performances leaving many annoyed at times.

With Tottenham potentially set to play Championship football next season, it feels likely that the defender will be on his way out.

The N17 outfit should at least seal a sizable fee for his departure, given his current deal runs until the summer of 2029.

He is reportedly paid a weekly salary of £195,000 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, equating to a wage of around £10.1million for the year.

Romero is a problem for some at Tottenham, and that certainly won’t be helped by his dad’s comments about a potential exit.

Romero release clause confirmed by his father

There is so much controversy and frustration going on in North London right now that transfers are the least of anyone’s concern.

Despite that, Victor Romero has decided to speak out to Argentinian outlet Cadena 3 about the centre-back’s release clause.

He said: “He has two more years on his contract with Tottenham and a very high release clause. The English club isn’t going to let him go for free; it’s between £37.8m-£53m.”

That is arguably less than what many supporters expected, but relegation is likely to make way for a cut-price exit in the summer.

Romero’s father isn’t helping the current situation, and as he says, there are two years remaining on the defender’s contract regardless.

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Luka Vuskovic must be kept at Tottenham Hotspur at all costs, as a new statistic, or rather, multiple statistics showcase his importance.

The Croatian defender is out on loan at Hamburg in the Bundesliga, a decision N17 officials are likely regretting at the moment.

At just 19 years old, he is proving himself to be one of the top talents in Europe, making it no surprise that plenty of major clubs have interest.

If Tottenham are relegated, Vuskovic is likely to force an exit, with him already capable of performing in the top flight.

However, if Spurs stay up, blocking a Vuskovic exit must be the priority at all costs this summer, with the young prospect hitting 100 in four stats.

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Which stats has Luka Vuskovic hit 100 in?

Vuskovic has been excelling in the Bundesliga for Hamburg, with those performances not only passing the eye test but also translating into his data points.

Throughout this season, Vuskovic has achieved 100-plus in clearances, total duels won, aerial duels won and recoveries.

What makes this reveal remarkable is that it shows the Croatian is comfortable competing in a high volume of defensive actions.

Additionally, Statmuse has confirmed that Vuskovic is the only player to achieve this feat this season.

Taken together, this reveal shows that Vuskovic has not just found himself in a good run of form, but his entire defensive set of abilities are top quality.

Tottenham will have to try and convince him to stay next season; he is essentially a unicorn of a defender.

Tottenham have already tripled Vuskovic investment

Back in 2023, the Lilywhites forked out £12m to secure the arrival of the centre-back. That investment has now seemingly tripled

According to the CIES Football Observatory’s fair market value, Vuskovic is now worth between £36million and £42m.

Of course, with speculation circling both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, Spurs may need to end up signing another defender.

The North London club would likely spend the current value of Vuskovic on that player, so it would be a smart move to keep him in the squad next season.

Time will tell where the future lies, with Tottenham fans growing frustrated with Vuskovic’s comments.

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Tottenham Hotspur will wish they kept Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg now, as Roberto De Zerbi helped him return to his best at Marseille.

The central midfielder left Tottenham to sign for Marseille in the summer transfer window of 2024, initially joining the French Ligue 1 side on a season-long loan.

However, he was entering the final 12 months of his Spurs contract at that time, and as such, he joined them on a permanent basis last summer following the end of his loan deal.

Now 30, the Danish international had probably his least impactful season in a Tottenham shirt during his final 2023-24 campaign in N17, and so many felt his exit made sense at the time.

But, before he became Tottenham’s new manager, De Zerbi was in charge of Marseille, and the Italian certainly helped reignite the former Lilywhites favourites’ form in France.

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How has Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg been playing for Marseille?

De Zerbi became Marseille manager in June 2024: the same summer that as aforementioned, Hojbjerg made his own move there.

Hojbjerg’s debut 2024-25 season for the French outfit was superb, providing two goals and four assists in 30 Ligue 1 games, as he became a rock in the heart of De Zerbi’s engine room.

As per Sofascore, he recorded a 93 per cent passing accuracy, played 1.5 key passes per game, averaged 109.4 touches per game and made zero errors leading to goals.

It was the Hojbjerg that Tottenham fans fell in love with, and he’s continued his excellent debut campaign into his sophomore season with Marseille.

So far in 2025-26, he’s made 26 appearances with 24 starts in Ligue 1, once again scoring twice and providing four assists.

As per Sofascore, he’s registering a passing accuracy of 91 per cent and a 95 per cent pass success rate inside his own half, has created five big chances and is taking 82.9 touches per game.

He’s also recovering 4.8 balls per game, has made zero errors leading to goals, has a 56 per cent dribble success rate and has won 61 per cent of his aerial duels.

In short, it’s been another dominant season in Ligue 1 for Hojbjerg, with Marseille no doubt counting their lucky stars that they were able to bag his signature from Tottenham.

Hojbjerg and De Zerbi partnership could’ve been huge for Spurs

Judging by the numbers he’s been putting up for Marseille since he left Tottenham, you would have to think Hojbjerg would walk back into Spurs’ starting lineup now.

Especially considering it would see him reuniting with De Zerbi, who as previously mentioned, helped instigate his success in France.

This current Tottenham team lacks leaders, bite, and a bit of pride in wearing the shirt: Hojbjerg didn’t lack anything in those departments.

His leadership in the middle of the park would be a godsend in N17 right now, but De Zerbi will instead have to try and navigate Spurs to safety with what he’s got.

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Frank Lampard could prove to be a manager target for Tottenham Hotspur in the future.

The Lilywhites have had a shocking campaign, but will be hopeful of a turnaround under Roberto De Zerbi in the coming weeks.

The Italian has been appointed on a five-year contract and has told supporters he will remain in N17 for next season, no matter what.

It will be interesting to see what happens with the new head coach and how soon Spurs will be on the lookout for their next manager.

Although it isn’t in the pipeline at the moment, Lampard could become an option for Tottenham following his success with Coventry City.

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Frank Lampard couldn’t turn down Tottenham

The ex-England international raised eyebrows when he moved to the Midlands and replaced the long-standing Mark Robins.

Things have certainly worked out for the 47-year-old, and promotion to the Premier League looks to be a certainty at this stage.

That has certainly seen his stock rise as a head coach after being scrutinised in spells with Everton and as interim boss at Chelsea.

Lampard has helped turn Coventry into a real force in the Championship and could ultimately replace Spurs in the Premier League.

Even after such a terrible season in North London, Arsenal legend Parlour has suggested that the former midfielder would still take the chance to manage Tottenham.

He said: “It’s a job he couldn’t turn down. If someone went up to him and asked him to be the Tottenham manager, he’d have to take it. Even if they’re in a bit of dire straits at the moment.”

Lampard was linked with Tottenham previously, and it seems the Gunners’ favourite still sees him as an option for the Lilywhites.

What would Lampard bring to Tottenham?

It would certainly be a bold move for Spurs to bring a Chelsea icon in as head coach, but beggars can’t be choosers at this stage.

Tottenham are at serious risk of relegation, and there is no guarantee that they will avoid the drop with De Zerbi in charge.

Should the N17 outfit drop into the second tier, it still feels unlikely that the Italian will stick around, regardless of what he says.

That could open the door up for Lampard to come in if the Spurs hierarchy look to bring in a head coach with experience of the division.

The Englishman has exactly that with both Coventry and Derby County, something that would be massive in turning things around.

His passion and ability to improve young talent is an added boost, even if his links to Chelsea would be hugely controversial.

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Roberto De Zerbi’s arrival will have implications for many of Tottenham Hotspur’s squad, with Destiny Udogie being one player likely to be negatively impacted.

The Italian defender has been routinely linked with a move out of North London over the last few months. His availability issues and performances have been a growing concern.

With the arrival of De Zerbi, those concerns are assuredly going to grow, with questions as to whether he can play in his style.

Over the next few weeks, many of the squad will come under the microscope as a rebuild begins once more in N17.

When it comes to what De Zerbi wants from his left-backs, Udogie is already firmly looking at the Tottenham exit door, as he falls short in several areas.

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How Destiny Udogie falls short at Tottenham for Roberto De Zerbi

When at Brighton, De Zerbi had Pervis Estupinan at his disposal, and that makes it easy to compare what his fullbacks typically excel at.

The Italian does want his wide defenders to stay high up the pitch and hold width. He also wants them to have a strong influence on attacking play.

This season, although playing 400 minutes less than Estupinan in 2023-2024, Udogie comes in with a xA per 90 of just 0.07, with the Ecuadorian more than doubling his total with 0.17.

The now-AC Milan star also attempted more than double the number of crosses per match compared to Udogie and had more success when progressing the ball with his dribbling, with his 50 per cent total beating the Italian’s 31.3 per cent.

Overall, there is no key category where Udogie comes out on top, and that will only further fuel exit speculation.

Who could be Tottenham’s left-back?

Djed Spence is another that does not fit De Zerbi’s style, which would leave Souza as an option.

However, the Brazilian is still inexperienced in the realm of English football.

In truth, it is looking to be a problem position for the Italian manager and will undoubtedly be an area Spurs address in the summer.

Whether their targets will be for the Championship or Premier League football remains to be seen with just seven games left of this Premier League season.

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Tottenham Hotspur have been urged to let Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie leave in the summer.

Roberto De Zerbi will surely make lots of changes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the transfer market, regardless of the division.

The Italian manager will be looking to turn his side’s fortunes around and propel them towards Europe rather than the relegation battle.

If he is to do that, he needs a major clearout and the likes of Vicario and Udogie could be at the top of the list to move on.

Tottenham will surely not be short of offers for those two players if they decide to move them on.

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Why Tottenham could sell Vicario and Udogie?

John Wenham believes Tottenham could sell the Italian duo, despite them sharing nationality with the new boss.

Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: “It’s interesting, the two Italian players in the squad, being an Italian in De Zerbi, are still two that I think should be moved on this summer.

“Vicario, just for all manner of reasons, and Udogie, he’s a very good player, but he cannot stay fit; he’s just too unreliable.

“I think he needs to be moved on this summer and a permanent left-back secured, and it’s a shame, because in the first season, there was a reason why he was linked to Man City for £80m.

“He had every technical attribute you’d want in a modern-day full-back, he was quick, he was aggressive, he could transition the ball forward, but unfortunately, if you can only do that 30 per cent of the season, you’re not fit for purpose.”

How much could Tottenham realistically bring in for duo?

Spurs are understood to value the goalkeeper up to £17.5million, according to reports in Italy, which would be around the figure that they paid for him in 2023, but nowhere near his peak value from 2024.

Inter Milan are reported to be the frontrunners for his signature, which would end his torrid time between the sticks in North London.

Meanwhile, Udogie has previously been linked with City, Juventus, and he could also join his Lilywhites teammate with the San Siro side.

The Lilywhites signed him for £15m in 2022, but injury issues have surely tanked any kind of value that they may have had if they sold him.

They could likely fetch a fee in the region between £20-30m, if they did decide to let him leave in the summer.

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