Tottenham Hotspur loanee Will Lankshear hailed by Tony Mowbray as West Brom continue play-off hunt
Tottenham Hotspur were vying for a versatile forward during the January transfer window and they got one in Mathys Tel, who arrived on loan from Bayern Munich on transfer deadline day.
Spurs’ attacking unit have been stretched over the last month following injuries to Dominic Solanke, Timo Werner, Brennan Johnson and Richarlison. So, they were desperate to bring in Tel, and the Frenchman’s acquisition allowed the club chiefs to sanction a loan move for academy graduate Will Lankshear.
Will Lankshear played the odd games for Spurs at the start of 2024/25 but was always an understudy to club-record signing Dominic Solanke. The youngster departed the club on loan to Championship side West Bromwich Albion in January after it became clear that Tottenham wanted to sign a new forward.
Before moving to West Brom, the teenager played six times for Spurs’ first team, scoring his first goal in the 3-2 Europa League defeat to Turkish side Galatasaray in November—a game in which he was also sent off. It is the England youth international’s first loan spell away from the North London side, one he certainly seems to be enjoying.
Tipped as a star in the making, Lankshear has made a strong early impression at West Brom under boss Tony Mowbray. Albion are looking to benefit from the Tottenham loanee’s talents as they push to secure a play-off spot at the end of the season.
Before West Brom’s 1-1 draw with Millwall at The Den on Saturday, Mowbray had a ton of praise for Lankshear. The experienced manager explained that the England youth international can offer a lot to his side and confirmed that he will get game time over the coming months.
“I think Lankshear did well when he came on the other day, but he’s been very impressive in training. He’s extremely strong for a 19-year-old boy, he has immense power in both feet, he has intelligence and I’ll be giving him game-time,” Mowbray told Birmingham Mail.
“The option will be sometimes to play Armstrong and Lankshear I suppose. Arma [Armstrong] can play anywhere along the front. It’ll depend on what we need.
“You need to put players with goals against their name on the pitch. I am encouraged by young Will. He looks really exciting in training and, yes, we got Armstrong at the last minute who, in my mind, is guaranteed goals if you give him enough game time, but Will will be given an opportunity to play and hopefully, he forces his way in.”
Of course, Mowbray did then start Lankshear against Millwall last weekend. It was a full West Brom debut not as memorable as the teenage striker would have hoped, with Mowbray taking him off in the 57th minute. Having shown plenty of energy, willingness and enthusiasm in the final third, the Spurs loanee is yet to score across three league outings for the Baggies.
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Having scored an astonishing number of goals in youth football over the last couple of years at Spurs, Lankshear has the chance to prove he has what it takes to compete in the fast and physical nature of English football. While he is yet to open his account, the England under-20 international seems to be catching the manager’s eye in training.
Nonetheless, it has been an encouraging start for the youngster at the Hawthorns. In a way, if he were to enjoy a successful loan spell in the Championship, it could see Lankshear return with much more confidence in his abilities and ready to challenge for a spot at Spurs under Big Ange next season.
