Although it is still very early in the Championship season, many watchers are now starting to see exactly why Middlesbrough were considered as promotion material under Kim Hellberg in pre-season.

Middlesbrough’s Swedish head coach has enjoyed a fantastic 12-month period at the Riverside Stadium, even if last season ended in sadness on two counts.

The style of play at the Riverside Stadium has been entirely modified inside stated timescale, and during the opening three months of 2026/27, one individual has finally solved the club’s biggest achilles heel from last season’s final weeks – the ability to score goals.

That is, of course, none other than Will Lankshear, who was one of numerous high-profile names to have transferred to Teesside throughout the summer, doing so from Tottenham Hotspur.

The 21-year-old was no stranger to the Championship at the time of his initial £10m deal from the North London club, but his extraordinary adjustment to life at the Riverside might be rewarded with the highest accolade.

Will Lankshear’s red-hot Middlesbrough form has alerted Thomas Tuchel

The aforementioned pact may still be worth up to £20 million with add-ons, allowing Spurs to benefit financially from their academy graduate’s performance.

However, no one is profiting more from Lankshear’s goalscoring brilliance and all-around game than Hellberg, who recently scored twice against Charlton Athletic, bringing his total to 13 goals in as many Championship outings.

There were concerns about his fitness for Wednesday night’s match at Wrexham, but after being cleared, it has been revealed that a senior England scout will oversee Lankshear’s performance on Thomas Tuchel’s behalf, with the Three Lions manager set to reveal his latest squad on Friday morning.

Such achievements come less than two months after Lankshear made his Under-21s debut with a goal in a 4-2 victory against Kazakhstan at Molineux, underlining his impressive short-term growth.

Will Lankshear has previously been compared to Harry Kane after his Middlesbrough exploits.

By mid-October, Lankshear’s rapid ascent into double figures was only matched by Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. His remarkable goalscoring feats have drawn comparisons to 2026 Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane, who also began his stellar career in North London.

“I can understand the comparisons with Harry Kane,” asserted former Tottenham Hotspur and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson. “He has followed a similar professional path to Harry and, physically, he is of comparable stature.

“Like Kane, he appears to be maturing at a slower rate than other Premier League regulars who reach their peak before the end of their teens.

Roberto De Zerbi may have second thoughts about ‘no regrets’ Will Lankshear assertion.

Spurs’ recent fortunes have undoubtedly been scrutinised, and while Roberto De Zerbi’s team has won their previous three Premier League games, the Italian’s attackers have failed to truly step up to the plate.

Dominic Solanke, in fact, has only scored 24 goals in his first 76 appearances for the club, one of which came in the first few weeks of the current season.

Lankshear’s 12-goal haul at Oxford United last season sparked heated debate over whether he should have remained at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and given the new events, De Zerbi may be reconsidering his opinions about the deal in September.

“Three strikers—how many strikers do you want in the squad? Three strikers, I believe, are enough. To answer regarding the Middlesbrough player, no (regrets).

Will Lankshear may break a long-standing Championship accomplishment this week.

In recent years, the Championship has served as a breeding ground for local talent, with many of Tuchel’s England regulars spending time in the second division.

However, they have mostly earned national notoriety since their regular appearances in one of Europe’s major top-flights, but Lankshear may be ready to change that.

No player has gotten an England call-up while playing in the Championship since Roy Hodgson included Wilfried Zaha to his side for a friendly against Sweden in November 2012.

The winger earned two caps for the Three Lions before switching allegiances to the Ivory Coast. During the season in which he was called up, his outstanding performances helped Crystal Palace reach the Premier League, which Lankshear hopes to replicate with Middlesbrough.