Will Lankshear has made an explosive start to his Middlesbrough adventure, prompting many to wonder whether Tottenham have just off‑loaded their future Harry Kane. The Boro paid a fee that could climb to £20 million for the 21‑year‑old striker, and he has already repaid the outlay with a volley‑filled winner on his Carabao Cup debut against Wrexham and a brace that turned around their opening Championship fixture versus Lincoln. Striker coach Scott Chickelday, who has been working one‑on‑one with Lankshear for the past two years, says he is hardly surprised by the youngster’s rapid impact.
Although Chickelday also trains elite Premier League forwards, he rates Lankshear as the best finisher among them. “He has every type of finish in his arsenal,” the coach explains. “Little flick‑ons, tap‑ins, headers, volleys – he is a complete No 9, and there are very few players like that at the moment.
His finishing is extraordinary. People laugh when I say it, but this boy is the closest thing I’ve ever seen to Harry Kane.” Comparing a 21‑year‑old still finding his feet in senior football to a player who holds the record for England goals and the European Golden Shoe is a bold claim, yet several observers spot clear parallels in their pathways, mentalities and playing styles.
Like Kane, Lankshear’s loan spells away from Tottenham have been a mixed bag. A stint at West Brom ended without a goal, while a period at Oxford United proved more fruitful on a personal level, even though the club suffered relegation from the Championship.
Matt Bloomfield, who took over as Oxford’s head coach in January when the team hovered just above the bottom of the table, recalls the impact Lankspear made. “Will was a big step for us.
He had been on loan before and it hadn’t worked out, but at Oxford he became the focal point of a struggling side. He worked incredibly hard, gave everything on the pitch, and that effort helped him develop,” Bloomfield told Sky Sports. The experience forced Lankshear to refine aspects of his game that had been under‑developed due to limited senior minutes.
“We spent a lot of time on his hold‑up play and making him a nuisance when we won the ball back,” Bloomfield added. In the context of a team that ultimately went down, Lankshear’s tally of 11 Championship goals last season was an encouraging return.
“In a relegated side, that is impressive,” Chickelday noted. The move to Middlesbrough places him in a very different environment – a side that dominates possession and creates far more chances. “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,” Bloomfield affirmed. The Kane comparisons re‑emerge when discussing Lankshear’s laser‑focused dedication.
“He is a lovely lad but he has an edge to him. He wants to be successful.
All the top players are single‑minded and driven,” says Chickelday. Bloomfield echoes this, adding, “He has a massive natural instinct, but you can see the hours of practice too. It’s the same with Harry Kane – they are born goal‑scorers, but they work incredibly hard at their craft.” Lankshear’s work ethic is evident in his training habits. After a session, he would often stay on the pitch to finish drills for an extra half‑hour.
“We had to push him back into the building because we needed his legs for the next day’s game,” Bloomfield recalled. This commitment has not gone unnoticed by his personal coach. Chickelday explains that Lankshear regularly arrives 40 minutes before a session, completes a warm‑up, then spends an hour on targeted finishing work, followed by another 25‑30 minutes of running after the main session.
“That shows you his mentality,” Chickelday says. Lankshear’s brother, Alex, also a footballer who recently scored for Gateshead, sometimes joins the sessions. Their drills focus on repetition of match‑scenario finishes – headers, volleys, cut‑back finishes, and a variety of other ways to put the ball in the net. One memorable moment was a goal Lankshear scored for Oxford against Sheffield Wednesday in April: a classic Kane‑style strike where he cut inside from the left, curled the ball into the top corner from outside the box.
“It was the typical Kane finish,” Chickelday laughed. What makes Lankshear unpredictable is his ambidexterity. He can drift wide on the left, cut inside, and finish with either foot, keeping defenders guessing.
His ruthlessness in front of goal and his consistency in hitting the target are reflected in his shot‑on‑target ratio, which in the Championship last season placed him third among the 72 players with 50 or more shots for expected goals per shot. Even at Oxford, he was consistently finding high‑quality chances thanks to his relentless work ethic. Beyond open‑play finishing, Chickelday believes Lankshear has untapped potential as a free‑kick specialist.
“He never gets to take them, but he is a really good free‑kick taker,” the coach says, adding that sometimes after a session he feels a particular strike is special – a feeling that stems from the striker’s mindset. “He wants to be the best.
He wants to be the No 1 striker in England, and eventually the No 1 in the world. I wouldn’t be surprised in two years’ time if he becomes Harry Kane’s replacement.” While speculation about future transfers is premature – “Middlesbrough will probably kill me if I talk about moves,” Chickelday jokes – he is confident that Lankshear is only two steps away from a £100 million valuation if his development continues on its current trajectory. For now, the focus is on helping Boro achieve promotion to the Premier League. Those who have worked with him are convinced that the striker is destined for the very top.
"I have absolutely no doubt about that," Bloomfield concludes. "Will is going to the very top."