Ange Postecoglou may have just dropped a big Tottenham transfer hint with new season plans
Ange Postecoglou’s plans for the upcoming 2024/25 season may have just changed following a very interesting pre-season tour
Ange Postecoglou may have dropped a hint over the pecking order at Tottenham
Will Lankshear was in the headlines for Tottenham once again on Wednesday after netting the crucial goal in their 4-3 win over Team K League. Leading 3-0 at the break at Seoul World Cup Stadium following Dejan Kulusevski’s opener and Son Heung-min’s double, Spurs were given a scare immediately after the restart as Stanislav Iljutcenko hit two goals in quick succession.
Amid the real possibility of throwing away a three-goal lead, Tottenham added a fourth of the evening through Lankshear. The academy ace was in the right place to convert Timo Werner’s inviting cross from the left from close range and crucially give his side a bit of a cushion once again.
It was Lankshear at his best as he sensed an opportunity and found himself in space in the area following some clever moment. The youngster certainly enjoyed his moment and immediately went over to Werner for putting the ball on a plate for him.
Lankshear actually wasn’t too far off adding a second goal of the game not long after as he curled an attempt narrowly wide of the target. Making his mark against Hearts earlier in the month, the frontman has made a real impression on Postecoglou and he appears to have changed his thinking in the process.
Competing with fellow youngsters Dane Scarlett and Alejo Veliz for minutes off the bench, the 19-year-old has been preferred to both of his teammates in all four friendlies so far this summer. Lankshear has always been the first substitute out of the trio to be introduced, with Scarlett and Veliz not even getting any pitch time in the last two games against Vissel Kobe and Team K League.
Previously looking like Lankshear was behind his competitors in the Tottenham pecking order having never made a senior appearance under Postecoglou, it does look like he has now leapfrogged the duo in the head coach’s mind going on his team selections so far. That in turn does raise question marks over what comes next for the striker who hit 32 goals for the club’s youngsters in the 2023/24 campaign.
football.london have reported in recent months that a long list of clubs in the Championship and across Europe are keen on a loan move for Lankshear for the upcoming season. It’s not hard to see why there is so much interest in the Welwyn Garden City-born player due to his prolific form in front of goal.
Amid question marks over what exactly comes next for Scarlett and Veliz with potential loan moves also likely, there probably is a case for keeping Lankshear at Tottenham for the time being rather than giving him the green light to exit on loan. After all, he scores goals and there could well be opportunities there in the first-team squad with Spurs still yet to sign a new striker this summer and also the increase in fixtures next season due to their return to Europe.
It already appeared after the Vissel Kobe game that Lankshear had moved past Scarlett and Veliz following their failure to appear from the bench, and the striker’s goal against Team K League strengthens that argument even further. If Lankshear does indeed feature in the two upcoming fixtures against Bayern Munich and also finds the net again in the process, it may be an absolute no-brainer in regards to what comes next for the player with the 2024/25 season quickly approaching.