| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Lankshear[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2005-04-20) 20 April 2005 (age 19)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Welwyn Garden City, England[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker[2] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 0000–2021 | Arsenal | ||
| 2021–2022 | Sheffield United | ||
| 2022– | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022– | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023- | England U19 | 5 | (3) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 00:15, 30 August 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:42, 24 March 2024 (UTC) | |||
William Lankshear (born 20 April 2005) is an English professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur as a striker.
Lankshear was at the Arsenal Academy before joining up with Sheffield United. He agreed a scholarship contract with Sheffield United in February 2021.[3] Lankshear was the top scorer in the division as he captained Sheffield United to the under-18 Professional Development League Division 2 title in 2021–22. He scored 38 goals in 48 appearances for the Sheffield United age-group teams in total. Sheffield United first team manager Paul Heckingbottom described him as having “a good gift to score goals”, and Sheffield United were ready to offer him a new contract.[4] However, amid interest from Premier League club Brentford, Tottenham Hotspur agreed to pay £2 million to Sheffield United for him on 31 August 2022,[5] with £1m of the fee guaranteed and further payments thought to be performance-related bonuses.[5] Some reports suggest the fee could rise to £2.5 million with Heckingbottom admitting it was “a good deal” for the youngster considering they had picked him up for free only a year previously.[6] Lankshear signed a contract with Tottenham running until the summer of 2025.[7]
On 8 October 2022, Lankshear made his debut as a substitute for Spurs' under-18s with his team 3–1 down against the Wolverhampton Wanderers youth side, and scored a quick-fire brace to level the match.[8] Lankshear paid tribute to the strength and conditioning work he had undertaken since joining Tottenham Hotspur.[8] Playing in the UEFA Youth League against Sporting Lisbon, Lankshear scored after 46 seconds.[9]
Lankshear scored 23 goals for Tottenham's U21 team in the 2023–24 Premier League 2 season, including a brace in the 3-1 play-off final victory against Sunderland. His performances saw him named as the league's Player of the Season.[10] [11]
He scored on his debut for England U19 on 15 November 2023, in a 6–0 win over Romania U19.[12]
Lankshear has been described as a “poacher” who is “outstanding in front of goal”.[13]
Lankshear is reportedly a Tottenham Hotspur supporter.[14]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur U21 | 2022–23[15] | — | — | — | — | — | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2023–24[16] | — | — | — | — | — | 1[a] | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Career total | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||
