| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Lankshear [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 April 2005 [2] | ||
| Place of birth | Welwyn Garden City, England [2] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward [2] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | West Bromwich Albion (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur) | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2021 | Arsenal | ||
| 2021–2022 | Sheffield United | ||
| 2022–2024 | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024– | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 | (0) |
| 2025– | → West Bromwich Albion (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | England U19 | 5 | (3) |
| 2024– | England U20 | 4 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:30, 10 February 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13:35, 12 December 2024 (UTC) | |||
William Lankshear (born 20 April 2005) is an English professional footballer who plays for West Bromwich Albion on loan from Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur as a forward.
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 £1 million 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]
On 3 October 2024, Lankshear made his senior debut for Tottenham, starting a 2–1 away win over Hungarian champions Ferencvárosi TC in the UEFA Europa League. [12] He scored his first goal for the club on 7 November in a 3–2 away defeat to Galatasaray in the same competition, before being sent off for receiving two yellow cards. [13]
On 31 January 2025, Lankshear joined Championship club West Bromwich Albion on loan for the remainder of the 2024–25 season. [14] He made his first appearance for the club on 8 February 2025 as a substitute for Isaac Price, in a 2-1 home win over Sheffield Wednesday. [15]
Lankshear scored on his debut for England U19 on 15 November 2023, in a 6–0 win over Romania U19. [16]
On 10 October 2024, Lankshear made his U20 debut during a 2-1 win over Italy in Frosinone. [17]
Lankshear has been described as a "poacher" who is "outstanding in front of goal". [18]
Lankshear is reportedly a Tottenham Hotspur supporter. [19]
| 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 [20] | — | — | — | — | 1 [a] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| 2023–24 [21] | — | — | — | — | 3 [a] | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||||||
| 2024–25 [22] | — | — | — | — | 1 [a] | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | — | — | — | — | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | ||||||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2024–25 [22] | Premier | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 [b] | 1 | — | 6 | 1 | |
| West Bromwich Albion | 2024-25 [22] | Championship | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 4 | ||