Inside the rise of Will Lankshear: Kane and Shearer comparisons as England squad beckons

"Will Lankshear is as good a finisher as I've seen since Alan Shearer".

If you've started to hear the hype around Middlesbrough's record £20m striker, get ready for even more.

England manager Thomas Tuchel is reportedly sending one of his scouts to see if Lankshear can add to his 13 goals in 13 Championship games against Wrexham on Wednesday night, with Friday's England squad an outside possibility.

Pundits are already queuing up to make classic number 9 comparisons, with veteran EFL manager Neil Warnock heaping praise on the 21-year-old's "unbelievable, special finishing".

Lankshear, who has 15 goals for Boro in all competitions this season, also scored on his England Under 21s debut in September.

And his Tottenham origins, predatory goalscoring instincts, and humble, hard-working personality are allowing commentators to make the obvious Harry Kane references.

The lack of up and coming English forwards behind Kane has been an issue for years. Can Lankshear jump the queue and gatecrash Tuchel's Euro 2028 plans?

Football London's Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold has described Spurs' decision to sell Lankshear as "baffling" and expects him to pass the 20-goal mark "within weeks".

Gold makes the stark contrast to Tottenham's underperforming forwards and says Boro fans must be "laughing at their fortune".

In fact, since joining the Boro, Lankshear has only scored one fewer goal than Tottenham have as a whole team.

Tottenham sporting director Johan Lange made the decision to cash in on Lankshear in the summer - reportedly £8-10m up front and the rest in add-ons.

Gold said: "Lankshear's second goal in the victory against Charlton was reminiscent of a certain Ballon d'Or winner he looked up to in training.

"He will become a very good Premier League striker and it's mind-boggling that Spurs did not simply loan out a player who was not desperate to leave permanently, or even heaven-forbid, give him a chance to prove himself."

However, Gold says the north London club have matching rights on any future offers for Lankshear as well as a 20% sell-on clause that would benefit them regardless of whether they or another club signs him down the line. It is against the rules to have a buy-back clause with EFL clubs so that not an option.

After Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg arrived in November 2025, no team created more chances in the Championship - but no team in the Championship missed more big chances either. They needed an elite finisher to go again for Premier League promotion.

In the summer, Hellberg, head of football Kieran Scott and head of recruitment Chris Jones drew up their transfer shortlist, with Lankshear described by one insider as a "dream" target.

The Spurs man had been a long-term target for Boro after they tracked his progress for many years. They tried to sign him in January, but he opted to honour his loan at Oxford.

Scott told Teesside Live: “We have to use our sales pitch. Someone like Will for example, he has a burning desire to be in the Premier League and play at the top level.

“I don't want to embarrass the lad but he had several opportunities that were financially a lot more rewarding for him. I would argue that some clubs were bigger because they were playing in Europe.

“But he bought into this, really liked what we were about. He saw himself as a No.9 here and he's about feel. He gets a good feel Will, and the more time I spent with him you realise he's not flash, he's not looking for the biggest and best training ground."

Everyone at Boro has been blown away by just how successful he’s been so far.

Lankshear's instinct in the penalty area is ‘elite’ already.

That might feel like a big claim given he’s only playing in the Championship, but that trait doesn’t really matter what division you’re in. Lankshear just has that knack of being in the right place at the right time, as shown by the fact that 10 of his 13 league goals have been one-touch finishes.

Coaches I’ve spoken to say that instinct is hard to teach. Lankshear just has it.

Hellberg is a coach who focuses massively on individual development.

Lankshear has yet to register an assist this season, and Hellberg has spoken a lot about working on other sides of Lankshear's game, in terms of his pressing and his back-to-goal stuff.

And it’s not just on the pitch where Lankshear has impressed. People behind the scenes at Boro talk of a young lad who’s mature and has his head screwed on, but is also humble too.

He’s also said to be a really driven character, and obsessed with improving all the time. A typical centre forward, Hellberg and his team-mates have joked about his intensity in front of goal in training.

Hellberg added: "He even celebrates if he scores a small goal on a possession drill - he still celebrates all his goals with a fist. I think that's why he scores so many goals. Even if he touches the ball very few times in a game.

"He's come here and is taking a massive development through the season. I think he was top from the first day in the box and how he finished, but he has increased his quality in the run-and-turn game.

"It comes from massive pressing. He has taken big steps, and he works so hard every day to improve, and that's what's taking him here. But at the end of the day, also having fantastic teammates that set it up in a brilliant way helps.

Team-mate Riley McGree jokes: “In training he loses his head when he doesn't finish and score! It's really good to see, because I can relate to that as well.”

This is a young player that’s been compared to fellow former Tottenham striker Harry Kane for many years. Even moving to Boro for a record fee brought with it attention and therefore pressure.