Will Lankshear on loan spell at Oxford United 2026

Key Points

• Tottenham Hotspur striker Will Lankshear spent the 2025/26 season on loan at Oxford United, becoming their leading scorer in the EFL Championship.
• As reported by BBC Sport, Lankshear said he did not see himself as “just a loan player” and felt fully integrated into the Oxford squad.
• He formed close relationships with teammates, staff and supporters, crediting the club’s treatment of him for his high‑level commitment.
• Lankshear contributed 12 goals and several assists across all competitions, including eight goal involvements in the last 12 matches of the campaign.
• Oxford United were relegated to League One despite a spirited finish, but Lankshear was named the club’s Young Player of the Year.
• The 20‑year‑old now returns to Tottenham, where he has already made six senior appearances and scored once in the UEFA Europa League.

Oxford United(Oxford Daily) May 08, 2026 – Tottenham Hotspur striker Will Lankshear has reflected on his season‑long loan at Oxford United, saying he felt like more than just a temporary recruit and describing his spell in the Championship as a “proper” move rather than a short‑term stay.

In an interview with BBC Radio Oxford, Lankshear, 20, explained that from the moment he arrived at the Kassam Stadium he viewed himself as a new signing rather than a loanee, and that mindset helped him settle quickly into Matt Bloomfield’s side.

What did Lankshear say about being treated as a full‑time member of the squad?

Reporting for BBC Sport, journalists quoted Lankshear as saying:

“People discuss loans and the notion of being just a loanee, but I didn’t perceive it that way.”

He added:

“I perceived myself as a new signing and felt as if I was part of the team permanently.”

Lankshear credited the club’s staff and players for making him feel welcome, telling BBC Radio Oxford he had “forged excellent relationships” with the contracted professionals, the medical team and everyone at Oxford United.

He continued: “When everyone treated me so well, I couldn’t help but give my utmost effort,” indicating that the club’s culture and treatment of him played a central role in his performances.

Why did Lankshear emphasise the importance of the supporters and the atmosphere?

Lankshear told BBC Radio Oxford that his overriding priority during the season was to help Oxford United stay in the Championship, saying his focus “was on Oxford and assisting the club in avoiding relegation—nothing else mattered.”

He highlighted the support of the fans, explaining that the atmosphere at the Kassam Stadium motivated him to push harder in every match. “With every match I participated in, I aimed to give back because the fans were incredibly supportive, and I genuinely enjoyed playing in front of them,” Lankshear said.

BBC Sport’s coverage underlined that this sense of belonging helped him maintain consistency, especially in the latter stages of the campaign when survival was still in the balance.

How did Lankshear’s performances translate into goals and assists?

During the 2025/26 campaign, Lankshear concluded the season as Oxford United’s leading scorer, emerging as one of the most productive young forwards in the Championship despite playing for a team ultimately relegated to League One.

BBC Sport reported that he totted up 12 goals and several assists across all competitions, with eight contributions in the last 12 matches alone, underlining a pronounced late‑season burst that kept Oxford in the fight.

As noted by BBC Radio Oxford reporter Tom Upton, writing for BBC Sport, Lankshear described his form in April 2026 by saying:

“That’s 10 for me this season across all competitions, with nine of those in the Championship,” adding that he hoped to “add a few more” as the club tried to extend their Championship stay.

Oxford United(Oxford Daily)May 08, 2026Oxford United’s Championship campaign ended in relegation, even though the side finished strongly, including a 4‑1 home win over Sheffield Wednesday in Lankshear’s final appearance for the club.

Immediately after that match, Lankshear told BBC Radio Oxford his last home game was a “bittersweet” occasion, acknowledging that the club had already been relegated on the basis of other results yet still celebrating the performance.

He added that he was “proud” of the way the team had competed, and stressed that he had given everything to try to keep the team up, a sentiment repeated in his later BBC Sport interview about the loan spell.

Club awards and recognition

What official recognition did Lankshear receive at Oxford?

Towards the end of the season, Oxford United recognised Lankshear’s contribution by naming him the club’s Young Player of the Year.

Football Insider’s coverage of the award highlighted that he had scored 12 goals in 47 appearances across all competitions, describing him as a “ready‑made Championship forward” who had clearly adapted to the intensity of second‑tier football.

Manager Matt Bloomfield, speaking to talkSPORT, also praised Lankshear as “an absolute credit to his family, a credit to himself and a credit to his craft,” pointing to his work‑rate and professionalism in training and matches.

From Tottenham’s academy to senior experience

How does this loan fit into Lankshear’s wider Tottenham career?

Lankshear joined Tottenham Hotspur’s academy in 2022, making his senior debut in October 2024 in a UEFA Europa League tie against Ferencváros, as outlined in Tottenham’s own club‑site profile and later updated by BBC Sport.

He has made six senior appearances for Spurs in all competitions, including scoring once in the Europa League away to Galatasaray.

BBC Sport also noted that Lankshear had spent the second half of the 2024/25 season on loan at West Bromwich Albion, where he made 11 appearances without scoring, but felt that period provided him with important Championship experience.

In a piece quoted by West Brom News, he said of that spell: “I didn’t manage to score at West Brom, but I think it was such a good loan for me, I learnt a lot,” adding that “everybody’s first loan doesn’t really go the way you’d like it to go, but actually, I took a lot from it.”

How Tottenham view Lankshear’s return

What does this loan spell mean for his future at Spurs?

Multiple outlets, including Football Insider and Tottenham‑focused sites, have reported that Tottenham valued Lankshear enough to reject January loan approaches from clubs such as Middlesbrough and Ipswich during the current season.

Football Insider’s analysis, published on 6 May 2026, stated that his 12‑goal contribution and Young Player of the Year award at Oxford make him “a ready‑made Championship forward who would clearly thrive in a much stronger side,” potentially positioning him as an option for Spurs’ first‑team or a higher‑profile loan in future.

Tottenham’s own communications in August 2025 described Lankshear as a “highly regarded young striker” and emphasised that the loan to Oxford was designed to give him “regular senior minutes” in a competitive environment.

Background of the development

How did Lankshear’s move to Oxford United come about and what context shaped his season there?

Oxford United announced the signing of Will Lankshear on a season‑long loan from Tottenham Hotspur on 4 August 2025, describing him as one of the most highly regarded young strikers in the country.

The club had won promotion to the Championship in 2024 and were aiming to consolidate in the second tier, but ended up in a prolonged relegation battle across the 2025/26 campaign.

Lankshear’s arrival was intended to provide a goalscoring threat and fresh attacking options, and he quickly established himself as a key figure, starting on the opening day of the season in a 1‑0 home defeat to Portsmouth.

BBC Sport’s coverage of the move explained that his prior experience at West Brom had “prepared him for the physicality” of the Championship, while Tottenham’s communications stressed that the loan was built around him gaining “consistent first‑team football.”

Prediction:How might Will Lankshear’s Oxford United loan spell affect fans and stakeholders in Oxford and at Tottenham?

For Oxford United supporters, Lankshear’s performances offer a reminder that even in a relegation season, the club can attract and develop a high‑quality young striker whose impact is immediately visible in the Championship.

His emotional connection to the fans and staff, as voiced in his BBC Radio Oxford interview, may also strengthen the perception that Oxford creates a hospitable environment for loan players, which could help the club secure more sought‑after recruits in future League One seasons.

For Tottenham Hotspur, fans and analysts may view the loan as a largely successful exercise, with Lankshear emerging as a more rounded, resilient forward who has tested himself in a relegation‑threatened side.

If Spurs’ first‑team options at striker remain limited or if competition for places intensifies under manager Roberto De Zerbi, the club could increasingly see Lankshear as a viable short‑term first‑team option or a high‑profile loan candidate, rather than a purely academy‑project player.

For fantasy‑football and transfer‑market observers, the fact he has already scored 12 goals in 47 appearances at Championship level may make him a more attractive speculative asset or a name to watch in future loan‑market discussions, particularly if Tottenham look to reinvest in attacking options.