Maddison, Solanke & AJ Tracey react to Will Lankshear leaving Spurs for Middlesbrough | OneFootball

Rapper AJ Tracey has responded to striker Will Lankshear joining Middlesbrough from Tottenham Hotspur, alongside James Maddison & Dominic Solanke...

Middlesbrough have completed a deal to sign Will Lankshear from Tottenham Hotspur, with the striker penning a five-year deal at The Riverside.

It's an expensive deal for Middlesbrough, having raked in money from a sell-on in Morgan Rogers' contract this summer on top of the sale of Hayden Hackney in a big-money move to Everton. Without parachute payments, the funds could go a long way to improving the squad ahead of 2026/27.

Keith Downie of Sky Sports states that Middlesbrough are signing the player for an initial £10 million from Spurs, with a further £10 million in potential add-ons. Alasdair Gold reports that there is a 20% sell-on clause and matching rights for Spurs for any future bids in the deal, too.

Lankshear bagged 12 goals and four assists for a struggling Oxford United side last season, including 11 in the Championship. That was his second loan away from Spurs, having failed to score in his first back with West Bromwich Albion the season prior.

Will Lankshear joins Middlesbrough from Tottenham Hotspur

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Having come through the ranks with Arsenal and Sheffield United before joining Spurs, Lankshear is making the permanent move to The Riverside to spearhead another promotion push under Kim Hellberg.

Lankshear made six appearances for Tottenham during his career in north London, with three coming in the Premier League and three in the Europa League. His one and only goal came in a 3-2 defeat to Galatsaray on their route to winning the competition.

British rapper and record producer AJ Tracey is a boyhood Tottenham fan, with the 32-year-old commenting on Lankshear's departure to Middlesbrough. He took to Instagram to respond to Lankshear joining his new club.

Lankshear said: "Delighted to have signed for @theboroofficial can’t wait to get started ❤️🤍 #UTB"

Tracey's response read: "smash it mate! lets gooo 🔥"

Former teammates also responded to a separate Instagram post about Spurs specifically, with James Maddison stating: "Good luck son 🤍"

That was after Lankshear wrote: "After 4 incredible seasons at Tottenham, my time has come to an end. I’d like to thank all the staff, players and fans for making my time so enjoyable and helping me along the journey. Tottenham will always be engraved in my heart.

Thank you🤍"

Dominic Solanke also replied: "All the best bro!"

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On paper, Lankshear's move to Boro has every chance of going down as one of the Championship's standout deals of the summer. Yes, the reported financial package is substantial, but on an even greater level is the potential reward.

Proven goalscorers are incredibly difficult to find, particularly those with the scope to improve as significantly as the 21-year-old, with Boro having secured exactly that. Lankshear has already shown he can score in senior football despite limited service, while his record throughout Spurs' academy suggests his ceiling is exceptionally high.

The striker netted a remarkable 26 goals in just 35 appearances for Spurs' U-21 team, which underlines the natural finishing instincts that made him one of their brightest prospects. Just as importantly, he now joins a Hellberg side that should create far more opportunities than he has previously enjoyed.

If Middlesbrough can consistently supply him with chances in the final third, there is every reason to believe Lankshear could develop into one of the Championship's most feared goalscorers, making the initial outlay look like excellent value in hindsight.