Tottenham Hotspur is entering a completely new era under Roberto De Zerbi, and one of the most interesting stories developing at the club involves a young striker named Will Lankshear.
The Italian manager is known for having a sharp eye for talent, and it seems he is already looking at which youngsters could play a part in his long-term plans. However, there is a very specific catch regarding Lankshear’s future at the club, and it all depends on how this difficult season ends for the north London side. Right now, Tottenham is in a very scary position. The team has not managed to win a single league game in 2026.
Their record lately has been poor, with five draws and eight losses. This terrible run of form has left them sitting in 17th place, just a single point above the relegation zone. De Zerbi was brought in to replace Igor Tudor, whose time at the club was incredibly short and unsuccessful. Tudor only lasted 44 days and managed to get just one point from seven games. Now, the pressure is on De Zerbi to turn things around immediately, starting with his first match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
While the main focus is on staying in the Premier League, the club is also planning for what happens if the worst-case scenario becomes a reality. This is where Will Lankshear comes into the picture. The 20-year-old forward has been spending this season on loan at Oxford United. Even though Oxford has had a tough time, Lankshear has been a bright spot, scoring 10 goals across all competitions. His ability to find the back of the net in senior football has caught the attention of the decision-makers at Spurs.
The current plan is quite simple but depends entirely on which league Tottenham is playing in next year. If the club actually gets relegated to the Championship, they intend to keep Lankshear in the squad instead of sending him out on another loan. The coaching staff believes that if they are playing in the second tier, Lankshear has earned the right to stay and fight for a spot in the first team. It would be his big chance to impress De Zerbi and become a regular starter for the club he joined back in 2022.
However, if Tottenham manages to escape relegation and stays in the Premier League, the plan for the young striker changes completely. In that situation, the club feels he still needs more experience at the highest level before he is ready to lead the line for Spurs in the top flight. They would likely look to loan him out again, specifically to a team that has just been promoted to the Premier League. This would allow him to play regular football against the best teams in the country while continuing his growth as a player.
Lankshear has had an interesting journey to this point. He actually started out at Arsenal’s academy before moving to Sheffield United. During his time there, his coaches praised him for having a natural gift for scoring goals. Tottenham saw that potential and paid around £2 million to beat other clubs like Brentford to his signature. Since joining, he has spent time on loan at West Brom and Oxford United, and he has even represented England at the youth level. He has already made a few appearances for the Spurs senior team, mostly in European competitions, but he is still waiting for that one big break to become a household name.
De Zerbi is known for being a very demanding coach, but the early signs are positive. Reports from the training ground suggest that the players are enjoying his methods, with some describing the new sessions as outstanding. The manager has told everyone at the club to focus only on the next game and not look too far into the future. He knows that the injury list is making things harder, especially with starting goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario out of action following surgery.
The next few weeks will decide the future of the club and many of its players. For a young talent like Lankshear, the situation is a bit strange. He is clearly a player with a lot of promise, but his path to the starting lineup is tied to the club’s biggest fear. If the team falls into the Championship, he becomes a key part of the rebuild. If they stay up, he likely heads back out on the road to continue his education elsewhere. Either way, Roberto De Zerbi will be watching his progress very closely as he tries to fix the mess at Tottenham.
What do you think is the best move for a young striker like Lankshear? Should he be playing for Spurs regardless of which league they are in, or is another loan the smartest way to help him grow?
