Charlie Austin makes huge Will Lankshear claim after Middlesbrough goal v QPR | OneFootball

Former QPR frontman Charlie Austin has commented on Will Lankshear’s heroics at Loftus Road last weekend.

Former Queens Park Rangers, Southampton and West Brom striker Charlie Austin has praised Will Lankshear for his heroics against the R’s last weekend, believing he made the right choice to sign for Boro and that it’s a ‘great coup’ for the Teesside outfit.

Lankshear was once again the match winner for Kim Hellberg’s men, as his 20th minute strike was enough to see Boro claim a precious 1-0 win at fellow high-flyers QPR.

The result sees Middlesbrough jump into second spot in the Championship standings, taking 10 points from their opening five league games and just a point shy of Swansea City at the summit.

Lankshear is already being touted to win the Championship ‘Golden Boot’ award when the campaign comes to a close, and he’s justified all the early hype by hitting the ground running and being the clinical striker Boro need as they look to finally bring their 10-year Premier League exodus to an end.

The £10m arrival from Tottenham Hotspur will be hopeful of keeping such an excellent run going before the international break, with his goals vital if they are going to be in the conversation for automatic promotion over the coming months.

Will Lankshear’s excellent start to the 2026-27 Championship campaign

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Will Lankshear’s strike against QPR last weekend means he now has five goals from his first five Championship games in a Middlesbrough shirt, keeping him at the top in the race for the golden boot.

Lankshear netted a brace on his home Championship debut against Lincoln City before notching yet another on home soil against former employers West Brom, while the goal at Loftus Road now takes his tally up to five for the campaign.

Not to mention he has also notched goals in both rounds of the Carabao Cup against Wrexham and Doncaster Rovers, taking him to seven goals in all competitions and is showing no signs of slowing down.

And after his exploits against the R’s last Saturday, vastly experienced former Championship forward Charlie Austin has had his say on Lankshear’s most recent display when chatting with host Peter Redding on the ‘Chaz Kicks Off’ podcast.

Charlie Austin labels Will Lankshear a ‘great coup’ for Middlesbrough

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Speaking on the most recent episode of the ‘Chaz Kicks Off’ podcast (from 24:16), Charlie Austin believes Will Lankshear has made the right decision for his career by moving to Middlesbrough, calling him a ‘great player’ and has insisted that Boro have landed a ‘great coup’ by getting the forward on their books.

Speaking about Lankshear, Austin said: “You get Spurs fans saying, ‘Oh, we get rid of all these young players’. Listen, if he played a few games for Spurs and hadn’t scored, then they’d be going mad.

“He’s now scored seven out of the 11 goals Middlesbrough have scored this season. He looks a great player and a great signing for them.

“He’s getting the experience, he’s putting the ball in the back of the net, he’s getting gametime, and it’s a great coup for Middlesbrough.”

Middlesbrough can be excited about the future with Will Lankshear

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When Will Lankshear signed on the dotted line for Middlesbrough, it’s exactly the type of start he would have been dreaming of making.

After getting important loan experience in the second tier with both West Brom and Oxford United, it’s been enough to see him, at the age of 21, be one of the hottest prospects in the division, and if he can keep up such an excellent goalscoring rate, it could see him become a Premier League player not too far from now.

And everybody connected to Middlesbrough will be hoping that it will be with them, with the club standing a huge chance of promotion should Lankshear maintain his fitness and continue to get the service throughout the entire season.

Possessing the physical attributes and a clinical edge, Middlesbrough have such a talented forward on their hands, and can begin to be excited about where the club can go with such a clinical finisher leading the line.

Lankshear has the potential to run riot at this level, with all oppositions defences worried about coming up against such a fearless talent.