Will Lankshear has burst onto the scene at Middlesbrough with a start that has left many fans and pundits questioning whether Tottenham have just off‑loaded the next Harry Kane. The Boro paid a fee that could climb to £20 million for the 21‑year‑old striker, and they have already been rewarded. He marked his debut in the Carabao Cup with a spectacular volley against Wrexham, and followed that up with a brace in Middlesbrough’s opening Championship fixture against Lincoln, turning a potential loss into a win. Scott Chickelday, the striker coach who has worked one‑on‑one with Lankshear for the past two years, told Sky Sports that the reaction to the transfer was mixed at first.
“A lot of people questioned it,” Chickelday said. “Now those same people are looking at it and thinking, ‘Hang on, we might have got a bargain.’” He is not surprised by Lankshear’s early impact. Having trained elite Premier League forwards, Chickelday rates the young Boro striker as the best finisher he has ever seen. “He has every type of finish in the book – the little flicks around the corner, tap‑ins, headers, volleys.
He’s a complete No 9 and there aren’t many like him at the moment. His finishing is incredible.
I tell people and they laugh, but this boy is the closest thing I’ve seen to Harry Kane.” The comparison to Kane is bold. Kane, the all‑time leading scorer for England and a former European Golden Shoe winner, is a benchmark few can claim.
Yet Lankshear’s path, attitude and skill set echo the English striker’s early career. Like Kane, Lankshear’s loan spells away from Tottenham have been a mixed bag. A brief stint at West Brom ended without a goal, but a later loan to Oxford United, even as the club suffered relegation from the Championship, proved pivotal for his development. Matt Bloomfield, who took over as Oxford’s head coach in January when the side were hovering just above the bottom of the table, praised Lankshear’s work ethic.
“Oxford was a big step for Will. He had been on loan before and it hadn’t quite clicked,” Bloomfield explained to Sky Sports. “He worked incredibly hard for us, left everything on the pitch. The experience rounded his game.
With limited senior football behind him, he needed help to finish his development. We were often out of possession, so we focused on his positioning when we won the ball back, his hold‑up play and making himself a nuisance when we cleared.” Lankshear finished the previous Championship season with 11 goals – a respectable tally for a teenager in a side that ultimately went down. “In a team that got relegated, that is some going,” Chickelday noted. At Middlesbrough, where the team dominates possession more often, Lankshear will have even more chances to showcase his predatory instincts.
Bloomfield believes the new environment suits Lankshear perfectly. “Middlesbrough will dominate the ball and that will suit him even more with the opportunities they create.
He is born to score goals. He is obsessed. All he wants to do is train and score.” That single‑minded focus mirrors Kane’s own laser‑like concentration. “He is a lovely lad but he has an edge to him,” Bloomfield added.
“All the top players are single‑focused and driven.” The work ethic behind the natural talent is evident. Lankshear routinely arrives 40 minutes before a training session, completes a warm‑up, then spends an extra hour with Chickelday before adding another 25‑30 minutes of running after the session ends. This dedication is reinforced by his older brother Alex, who also trains with the striker.
The drills focus on repetition of match scenarios – headers, volleys, cut‑back finishes, and a variety of shooting techniques. One standout moment came during his Oxford loan when he scored from outside the box against Sheffield Wednesday, a classic Kane‑style goal where he cut inside and curled the ball into the top corner. “He likes to drift out on the left and cut inside, but he can do anything with either foot,” Chickelday explained.
“That unpredictability makes him dangerous. His ruthlessness in front of goal and his consistency in hitting the target are exceptional. In our sessions he rarely misses the target.
He may not score on every shot, but he forces the goalkeeper to make a decision.” Statistically, Lankshear’s efficiency is impressive. Among the 72 Championship players who recorded 50 or more shots last season, he ranked third for expected goals per shot.
Even at Oxford, his high‑quality chances reflected the extra work he put in. He also possesses a good free‑kick technique, a skill that could add another dimension to his game. Chickelday is convinced the future holds great things for the Boro striker.
“Sometimes you finish a session and you feel something special. It’s his mentality. He wants to be the best, the No 1 striker in England, and eventually the best in the world. I wouldn’t be surprised in two years’ time if he becomes Harry Kane’s replacement.” Bloomfield agrees that the trajectory is upward.
“He never gets to take them, but he is a really good free‑kick taker,” Chickelday added. “If he keeps developing, I think he is two moves away from being a £100 million striker.” The ultimate goal for Middlesbrough, of course, is promotion to the Premier League, and those who know Lankshear are confident he will be a key driver of that ambition. "I have absolutely no doubt about that," Bloomfield said.
"Will is going to the very top."