Will Lankshear has done something quite straightforward and quite remarkable in the same breath: he has turned up, got in the right positions and put the ball in the net. Nine times in 12 games. The 21-year-old's latest, a header six yards out from Tommy Conway's left-wing cross, gave Middlesbrough a 1-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday and kept Boro sitting in the Championship's automatic promotion places.

It is the kind of return that justifies what the club paid. Lankshear joined from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer on a five-year contract in a deal reported to be worth an initial £10m, rising to a potential £20m through add-ons. That would make him a club-record buy. At the moment, he looks worth every clause.

What Boro were missing

The backdrop matters here. Middlesbrough missed out on promotion last season despite creating chances at will; they managed just one goal across three play-off games and were sent home early. Kim Hellberg had built a side full of creativity but short on the ruthlessness to make it count. Lankshear was signed to fix precisely that.

"Boro was a team that made a boatload of chances, and he knew he would be able to get on the end of them," BBC Tees commentator Mark Drury told BBC Sport. "But what people have been impressed with is his instinctive finishing. One touch, just being in the right place. It's simple, but not a lot of people know how to be there at the right time."

Drury also noted that Lankshear is physically more imposing than he appears on camera: 6ft 2in, comfortable in the air and dangerous with either foot. He has scored in all but one of Boro's home matches this season, which tells you something about his consistency in front of their own supporters at the Riverside.

Competition for his signature

Middlesbrough were not alone in wanting him. According to the BBC report, the club saw off competition from across the Championship and from clubs in Europe to secure his signature. That level of interest is not surprising given what he had already shown: 12 league goals on loan at Oxford United in the second tier last season, for a side that was ultimately relegated, and 23 goals for Tottenham's under-23 side in the 2023-24 Premier League 2 campaign.

The club has form for this kind of recruitment. Morgan Rogers spent six months at the Riverside before Aston Villa paid big money to take him on; Lankshear arrives with a longer contract and higher initial fee, suggesting Boro see him as more than a short-term solution. Whether he proves to be that depends on sustaining this form across a full Championship season, which is a different challenge from a hot streak in the opening months.

The Spurs angle, from a Boro perspective

It is tempting to frame this as a story about Tottenham's regret, and plenty of column inches have been given to that angle. From a Championship point of view, the more relevant fact is that Boro identified a specific problem, found a player who addressed it, and persuaded him to commit on a long-term deal rather than a short loan. That is good business, however you dress it up in press-release language.

Former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson, speaking to BBC Sport, offered a straightforward view of why the move was right for the player: "If you are a young kid at a club where you are not getting any first-team football and you get the opportunity to go and play men's football, you should go. Getting first-team football is the best grounding you can get for a young footballer, regardless of what league it is. Will has been given this opportunity, and he is taking it."

The comparisons with Harry Kane, a 6ft 2in English striker who came through at Spurs and learned his trade in the Football League before becoming one of the game's leading scorers, are flattering and probably premature. But the bones of the comparison are fair enough. Lankshear is developing later than some, which is not unusual for a tall, physical striker, and he is doing it in the right environment.

For Boro, the immediate question is simpler than any career-trajectory discussion: can he keep scoring, and can the club sustain a promotion challenge deep into spring? Nine goals in 12 games suggests the early answer is yes. The Championship has a habit of producing more complicated answers as the season wears on.

Frequently asked

How many goals has Will Lankshear scored for Middlesbrough this season?
Lankshear has scored nine goals in 12 games for Middlesbrough since joining from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer.
How much did Middlesbrough pay for Will Lankshear?
Middlesbrough signed Lankshear for an initial fee of around £10m, with add-ons that could take the total to £20m, which would be a club record.
Where are Middlesbrough in the Championship table?
Middlesbrough are currently in the automatic promotion places in the Championship, with Lankshear's goals a major factor in their strong start to the season.