Will Lankshear has wasted no time settling into Championship football with Middlesbrough, and the 21-year-old forward is already talking about bigger ambitions. Three goals in his first two games for the club, including a stoppage-time winner against Lincoln City on Saturday, have made him an instant favourite with the Riverside faithful. More significantly, he insists the whole dressing room is pointed in the same direction.

An instant connection at the Riverside

Lankshear arrived at Middlesbrough this summer in a deal reported to be worth £10 million, following a move from Tottenham. It is a considerable outlay for a second-tier club, and the early signs suggest the fee will not look excessive. After netting a brace against Lincoln, he stood in front of the North Stand to take in the applause, describing the occasion as "probably the best atmosphere I've played in."

"I thought the fans were absolutely amazing," he told BBC Radio Tees. "They were really loud all game. It was quite emotional really. It's not been easy as a player, growing up. This is my dream and I'm really, really happy to be here. I think I've found my people."

That kind of language resonates with supporters who have watched the club spend years hovering around the Championship's upper reaches without quite breaking through. Lankshear knows what this crowd wants to hear, but he also seems to mean it.

Shared ambition in the squad

Speaking candidly about his long-term goals, Lankshear did not hide his aspirations. "I know my dream is to play in the Premier League one day and I know that my friends' dream is to play in the Premier League as well," he said. "But it's important not to listen to the noise and just keep on track."

The distinction he is careful to draw is that individual ambition and collective focus are not in conflict. The message he is sending is that the route to the top flight runs through application rather than daydreaming. "You have to have that drive. You have to be the best. You have to come into work every single day and give it your absolute all," he added.

Middlesbrough, managed by Kim Hellberg, fell agonisingly short last season when they lost in the Championship play-off final in May. That experience, painful as it was, has sharpened rather than deflated the club's ambitions. Lankshear is joining a group of players who already know how close the top flight can feel.

A player building momentum

Lankshear is not short of loan experience to call upon. He spent time at Oxford during the 2023-24 campaign, scoring 12 goals, and had a further spell at West Brom in 2024-25. Those stints in the Championship and lower leagues have given him a grounding that a straight path from a Premier League academy rarely provides.

"This is the most competitive league in the world," he said, referring to the Championship with the kind of respect the division earns from anyone who has played in it. "You have what, like 15, 16 teams trying to go for it, so you know it's going to be tough."

That is not press-release talk. The promotion race in the second tier genuinely is condensed and unforgiving, and anyone who has played in it recognises that a purple patch in August counts for little if the application drops come the winter months.

For Middlesbrough supporters, however, the immediate picture is an encouraging one. A striker arriving from a top-flight club at significant cost, hitting the ground running and visibly enjoying himself in front of a noisy home end: it is exactly what a club trying to recapture last season's momentum needs at the start of a new campaign. Whether Lankshear can sustain his form through a long and demanding season will determine how seriously Boro are taken in the promotion conversation come the spring.

Frequently asked

How many goals has Will Lankshear scored for Middlesbrough?
Lankshear has scored three goals in his first two Championship games for Middlesbrough, including a brace against Lincoln City on Saturday.
How much did Middlesbrough pay for Will Lankshear?
According to reports, Middlesbrough signed Will Lankshear from Tottenham for a fee of around £10 million this summer.
Will Middlesbrough challenge for promotion this season?
Middlesbrough reached the Championship play-off final last season and have begun this campaign strongly. Manager Kim Hellberg's squad have stated openly that their ambition is to reach the Premier League.