'Throwback' Will Lankshear expected to be solution for Boro's biggest problem

Not only did Boro win the race to sign one of the most in-demand strikers in the Championship, they secured the deal early too, with Lankshear arriving with over three weeks before the league campaign gets under way.

The deal with Tottenham is worth £8m initially. Should all work out well and he plays a big role in firing Boro back to the Premier League, the deal could end up costing £20m, but will be well worth the fee if the add-ons are realised.

It was evident for much of last season that the role was a recruitment priority. Indeed, Lankshear was one of several targets that Boro tried to sign back in January, to aid their promotion push.

That push was one that would ultimately end in heartbreak. And while the reasons why were a little more multifaceted, there can be no denying that a goalscoring centre forward could have made a huge difference.

As David Strelec struggled for form and fitness, Boro found finishing the many chances they created difficult. The numbers were clear: Boro created more chances and had more touches in the opposition box than any other Championship side after Hellberg’s arrival last November.

Critically, however, they were also rock bottom in the same period when it came to chance conversion. That had to change.

Boro’s early recruitment work has centred around fixing that issue. Myles Peart-Harris and Kyle Joseph bring pace and versatility into the side, and Hellberg has expressed his belief that Joseph can vastly improve on the eight goals he netted for Hull City last term.

But, ultimately, while it’s hoped Strelec can step up this season after a strong start to pre-season, and while Hellberg will hope wide forwards Tommy Conway and Morgan Whittaker continue contributing to the goals, the huge expenditure on bringing Lankshear to the club means they’re hoping he can play a big role in turning all the domination into results.

Lankshear is only 21 but already has plenty of senior experience. He’s turned out for Tottenham in the Europa League, and had loan spells at West Brom and Oxford United.

Boro’s interest in the striker stretches back to the 2023-24 campaign when he scored 23 goals for Spurs’ under-21 side and was voted PL2 Player of the Year.

But it was last season that their scouting of the striker really stepped up. Despite being relegated with Oxford, he managed 12 goals for a U’s side that created considerably less than Hellberg’s Boro.

“Lankshear’s loan at United was a resounding success and without him, relegation to League One would surely have been confirmed sooner,” Liam Rice, the former Oxford United correspondent for the Oxford Mail told Teesside Live.

Boro chiefs believe Lankshear can be the answer to Boro’s biggest problem from last season. The Spurs academy graduate has been compared to Harry Kane and is commended for his finishing, and his instinctive movement in the penalty area.

Consider the fact that Boro created over 200 more chances in comparison to Oxford, and also crossed the ball from wide areas almost 200 more times, it’s little wonder that Lankshear is licking his lips at the prospect of spearheading the Boro attack this season.

“Lankshear is a little bit of a throwback to classic fox-in-the-box centre forwards,” Liam explains. “His goals come from between the width of the posts, a mixture of smart finishes to round off attacks or classic poacher goals.

“He has a predatory instinct in front of goal; that wonderful knack of being in the right place at the right time. He’s calm and composed in front of goal, and I can only see his goalscoring ability getting even better as his game matures.”

It’s not all about goals though. That’s obviously the main thing that Boro want Lankshear to bring. But he has to contribute to the team and overall game.

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Asked earlier this year what he looked for in a striker, Hellberg told Teesside Live the biggest fundamental he needed in his team was runners. If you can’t run, and can’t lead the aggressive press, you won’t succeed in the Swede’s plan.

For being a 6ft 2in, physical centre forward, Liam assures that Lankshear can run. And Liam’s successor at the Oxford Mail, Malachi Obrey, notes that Lankshear can offer plenty to a team’s build up play too.

He told Teesside Live: “That many goals for a relegation-battling side is commendable and there was clear development in his abilities over the course of the season.

“He is a physical specimen who has a natural knack for getting in goal scoring positions and a keen eye for goal. He can poach chances when they come his way, taking most of the few that came his way for a struggling Oxford last season.

“But he also possesses a terrific strike from range. Lankshear can hold the ball up well and is a quick thinker, able to improvise in tough situations. He can drop deep at times to link play.”

Lankshear is by no means the finished article. At 21, there will still be plenty more development to come. But that in itself is hugely exciting.

Malachi notes there were times last season that his finishing could have been a little sharper. Liam believes that, despite his size, he doesn’t win as many headers as you might expect.

But Boro will play a significantly different way to Oxford. They might fizz the ball into his feet and look for him to make it stick before spraying wide and launching a break into the box. But there’s unlikely to be many times when they’ll be lumping the ball up to him and asking him to compete aerially with Championship centre-backs.

Instead, they’ll be hoping that, with those penalty-area instincts, they’ll be nowhere near 24th when it comes to their chance conversion rate this season. It was Boro’s big problem last season. Lankshear can be the big difference this season.

Middlesbrough are preparing for a big summer as they look to rebuild from the heartarche of missing out on promotion to the Premier League.

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