​​​​​​​Middlesbrough have scuppered Jermain Defoe's big Spurs prediction for Will Lankshear | OneFootball

Will Lankshear joining Middlesbrough has scuppered a prediction Jermain Defoe made on the former Spurs striker in March 2025...

Jermain Defoe and Will Lankshear are two names synonymous with Tottenham Hotspur's academy, but their paths have taken very different directions after the latter joined Middlesbrough.

The 43-year-old enjoyed a remarkable goalscoring career at Spurs across three separate spells, while Will Lankshear left for Middlesbrough this summer in a deal worth up to £20 million with the Championship outfit (Keith Downie, Sky Sports).

After three goals in his first two appearances for Boro, Jermain Defoe's prediction about the young centre-forward's future at Tottenham already looks rather different in 2026/27.

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Defoe was perfectly placed to judge Lankshear after having worked with him in Tottenham's academy, and his assessment was glowing. Speaking in 2025, the former England striker described Lankshear as a "throwback number nine" and a "proper centre-forward", highlighting his physicality and willingness to put himself about.

Those comments are quoted on Spurs Web but there was something else, too. More importantly, Defoe noticed something that cannot necessarily be coached: an extraordinary appetite for goals. He pointed out that Lankshear would celebrate goals even in training and was constantly hungry to score more.

He said: "Will Lankshear is good. He is a throwback number nine, a proper centre-forward. He puts himself about, he has scored so many goals for the under-21s, and he is the type of striker who celebrates goals in training.

"He has a great appetite for goals, and he is hungry to keep scoring. I would like to think that after his loan spell, he will break into the first-team and go on to score goals for many years at Tottenham."

Defoe's prediction was particularly bold. He said he hoped Lankshear would return from his loan spell and break into Tottenham's senior set up to score regularly for years. Given Defoe's own record as one of Tottenham's greatest modern goalscorers, it was quite the endorsement.

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There is one obvious problem with Defoe's prediction: Lankshear is no longer at Tottenham. Spurs ultimately decided to sell the 21-year-old to Middlesbrough this summer, albeit The Standard claim that Tottenham also retained a 20% sell-on clause and matching rights.

And Lankshear could hardly have made a more spectacular start to his new life on Teesside. After Middlesbrough beat Southampton and Wolves to his signature, he scored the only goal on his debut against Wrexham in the Carabao Cup, before producing a brace from a goal down against Lincoln City in his first Championship appearance.

That means three goals in his first two games, with every one of Boro's goals in those victories coming from the former Spurs striker. He failed to score against Blackburn Rovers in their 2-1 defeat but a last-minute winner at The Riverside was enough to see him start sensationally.

Perhaps the irony is that Defoe's prediction about Lankshear scoring regularly was not necessarily wrong — it was simply wrong about where he would be doing it. Middlesbrough have given him the platform Tottenham ultimately could not, and he is already showing why Defoe saw something special.

Spurs will be watching Will Lankshear's progress very closely

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Tottenham will certainly have one eye on Lankshear's progress, particularly because the deal contains so many potential financial benefits. They could get £20 million if the relevant add-ons are triggered, while Spurs also retaining the sell-on clause and matching rights is significant in the long-term as well.

That means Lankshear succeeding at Middlesbrough would not necessarily represent a complete loss for Spurs. If he develops into the striker Defoe predicted, Tottenham could benefit financially — but they may also end up wondering whether they allowed a potential Premier League and England forward to leave too early.

At 21, there is still enormous room for development, and Lankshear has already demonstrated his ability to score at Championship level after netting 11 league goals for Oxford United last season. If he eventually fires Middlesbrough back into the Premier League, the England conversation could follow, too.

With Harry Kane now 33, the succession question will eventually become unavoidable, and Lankshear could yet force his way into that discussion. Defoe bagged 20 in 57 caps for England, but if his instincts prove to be correct, perhaps Lankshear could even end up scoring more goals for England than his former mentor managed as well.