Tottenham expert John Wenham believes the North London club’s decision to sell Will Lankshear was a big mistake.
Tottenham expert and Lilywhite Rose account owner John Wenham has accused the club of making an “utter disaster” by selling Will Lankshear, questioning the decision to let the striker leave during the summer.
Lankshear joined Middlesbrough in a deal that could eventually be worth £20 million, with Tottenham receiving an initial £10 million and a further £10 million available in add-ons. However, the 21-year-old has quickly shown why Spurs may have erred in selling him.
Selling WIll Lankshear has not gone down well with Tottenham fans
The forward has scored eight goals in 11 appearances for Middlesbrough, establishing himself as one of the most in-form strikers in the Championship, while his impressive start has come at a time when Tottenham have misfired badly in front of goal.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side are still searching for their first Premier League win after five matches, having scored just twice and conceded eight goals. Tottenham have managed only one victory in seven matches across all competitions.
Wenham believes Lankshear would have addressed Tottenham’s attacking deficiency, particularly given his suitability to De Zerbi’s system. Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he criticised the decision to sell the forward and questioned the attacking options currently available to the club.
“It does [look silly] when you exclude Richarlison out of choice as well, because it basically means all we have got now is a Dominic Solanke that’s devoid of confidence, Mathys Tel is devoid of confidence either on the left wing or as a striker, and I think Marmoush is better suited playing as a 10 or off the wing than as a striker,” Wenham said.
“We have actually let go of a striker that is bang in confidence, that’s got the correct build to be a striker, especially in a De Zerbi system.”
Lankshear seems to have a bright future
The former Tottenham youngster had only scored once in six appearances for Spurs before his departure, but Wenham believes he was never given a genuine opportunity to establish himself at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Lankshear’s development has now accelerated since moving to Middlesbrough, while his performances have even prompted suggestions that he could eventually become a successor to Harry Kane for England. He scored on his first appearance for Lee Carsley’s England Under-21 side on Friday, adding another encouraging chapter to his rapid progress. For Wenham, that makes Tottenham’s decision even harder to understand.
“He’s English, he supports the club, and he’s scoring goals for fun, it doesn’t just look like a mistake, it looks like an utter disaster to have moved Lankshear on,” he added.
Tottenham will hope their current forwards can rediscover their confidence, but Lankshear’s acceleration at Middlesbrough now stands as a benchmark against the North London club’s summer exit strategy.
