Tottenham 'regret losing Will Lankshear' after what they have seen
Tottenham Hotspur have regrets about allowing Will Lankshear to leave the club during the summer transfer window.
The 21-year-old joined Middlesbrough for a club-record £20million fee during the summer transfer window, and has gone from strength to strength since the move.
His performances in the Championship have led to suggestions he could be ready for Premier League football, and would be an asset for Spurs given their issues up front.
Former Tottenham scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Spurs will regret letting Lankshear move on and believe he would be an uprgade on their current options.
Dominic Solanke is currently the only natural number nine available, with Richarlison cast out and Omar Marmoush not seen as a centre-forward.
Roberto De Zerbi has previously insisted he has no regrets regarding Lankshear's exit, but if their goalscoring woes continue, questions will be asked about the decision.
Why was Will Lankshear allowed to leave Tottenham?
Football Insider revealed in May that Tottenahm would assess Lankshear following his return from Oxford United, but they ultimately deemed him surplus to requitrements.
Since leaving Spurs for Middlesbrough, the striker has scored eight goals in 11 games across all competitions, and has proved himself more than capable of leading the line.
Tottenham, meanwhile, have scored just two goals in their five Premier League games so far and are still without a win, leading to concerns about their attacking options.
"Tottenham regret losing Will Lankshear, I have no doubts about that," Brown told Football Insider.
"Since he joined Middlesbrough, he has proved he can be a top striker, he knows where the back of the net is and he can lead the line well. That's the exact type of player Spurs need.
"When you look at Tottenham's current attacking options, he really couldn't do much of a worse job than they are doing.
"In fact, I would go as far as to say he would be an upgrade on their other strikers, because he knows where the goal is and gets himself in great positions to score goals.
"So for Tottenham, they're looking at his performances, looking at their own strikers, and at some stage they have to admit they made a mistake."
What is next for Tottenham's other attacking options?
Compared to Lankshear's eight goals so far this season, Tottenham's forwards have failed to find the net, with both of their goals coming from the midfield and defence.
That has led to growing concerns for De Zerbi, who is facing increasing pressure on his position as a result of the lack of clinical finishing in his side.
Brown told Football Insider on 22 September that Tottenham are planning to sign a "top-class" striker to replace Solanke amid concerns about his performances.
The 29-year-old has fearured in every Premier League match for Spurs so far this season and has yet to find the net while his side are still without a win after five games.
They will now go into the mid-season transfer window looking to sign a striker, which is notoriously difficult, and have placed themselves in a very tricky situation.