The “firing” Spurs teen who could emerge as a lethal Maddison partner

Tottenham Hotspur were not in action in the Premier League over the weekend as their match against Chelsea, that was due to be played on Friday, was postponed.

Their London rivals, instead, played in the League Cup final against Liverpool at Wembley, which meant that Ange Postecoglou had more time to work with his team on the training pitch.

The Australian head coach, whose side are currently fifth in the Premier League and battling to land Champions League football for next season, may also have had time to watch the U21s.

Tottenham’s U21s played at home to Fleetwood’s U21s in the Premier League Cup on Saturday and secured an emphatic 6-0 victory, as their young starlets showcased their attacking quality.

One talented whiz who stole the show was centre-forward Will Lankshear. The teenage dynamo scored a hat-trick in the first half, and all three of his strikes came between the 29th and 39th minutes.

He is a promising young number nine who could emerge as a lethal partner for creative first-team midfielder James Maddison in the future, particularly if Richarlison is unable to sustain his impressive goalscoring form.

Richarlison’s rich vein of form

The Brazil international, who joined Spurs from Premier League rivals Everton in the summer of 2022, has endured mixed success during his time in North London.

He only scored one goal, from 3.32 Expected Goals, and provided three assists in 27 top-flight appearances for the club during his debut season in the 2022/23 campaign.

The reported £60m signing did not hit the ground running with the Lilywhites as he failed to produce regular quality in the final third, as either a scorer or a creator of goals.

Richarlison also endured a difficult start to the current campaign as he only found the back of the net once in his first 12 Premier League appearances of the season.

Since then, the 26-year-old marksman has plundered nine goals in his last ten top-flight outings to take his tally to ten goals in 22 matches for Spurs.

As you can see in the table above, the Tottenham striker has performed well in comparison to the quality of chances that he has been provided with, as Richarlison has outscored his xG by 1.41.

However, his goalless run at the start of this season and his poor form in front of goal throughout the 2022/23 campaign means that it is hard to predict whether or not he will be a reliable goalscoring outlet for Postecoglou in the long-term.

Richarlison has shown that he has the quality to find the back of the net on a regular basis when on top form, but has also shown that it is possible for him to offer little-to-no threat in the final third week-in-week-out at his worst.

Will Lankshear’s goalscoring quality

With the Brazilian’s future as the club’s number nine uncertain, due to his erratic form, Postecoglou may already be thinking about possible long-term replacements to lead the line for his team.

Spurs may not need to dip into the transfer market to splash millions on a new centre-forward, though, as Lankshear’s incredible form for the academy suggests that the potential is there for him to emerge as a first-team option.

The 18-year-old gem produced four goals and two assists in five U18 Premier League outings for Tottenham during the 2022/23 campaign to earn himself a promotion to the U21s.

Lankshear has been sensational since his move up to that age group as he has showcased his goalscoring quality on a regular basis this season.

The England U19 international has fired in a staggering 13 goals in 14 appearances for the U21s during the 2023/24 campaign, which includes 11 goals in 11 Premier League 2 outings.

As you can see in the table above, the Spurs teenager caught the eye in the EFL Trophy earlier this term with three goals and assists combined in three clashes, against first-team sides Peterborough, Cambridge, and Colchester.

Lankshear, who U23 scout Antonio Mango claimed is “firing” this season, has consistently delivered in front of goal for Spurs at U18 and U21 level over the past 18 months or so.

This suggests that he has the ability and consistency to find the back of the net week-in-week-out, albeit in youth football, whilst Richarlison is yet to showcase that in the first-team.

James Maddison’s creative brilliance

Lankshear’s potential rise to the senior squad could be helped by Spurs having one of the best creative midfielders in the Premier League with Maddison.

The England international has the ability to create high-quality chances for his teammates by splitting open opposition defences on a regular basis.

This means that the teenage striker would have plenty of opportunities to show off his finishing skills in the first-team if Postecoglou brings him into the side in the future, which may not be the case if the club lacked a quality creator in the middle of the park.

As you can see in the table above, not many attacking midfielders or wingers in the Premier League have provided more creative quality per 90 than Maddison this term.

He has consistently progressed the play with his passes to find his teammates in shooting positions, which has rewarded him with six assists in 15 league outings.

The English magician also created 12 ‘big chances’ and recorded nine assists in 28 starts for Leicester City in the top-flight during the 2022/23 campaign.

These statistics suggest that Maddison would be the perfect midfielder to play behind Lankshear, should Postecoglou unleash the 18-year-old striker in the coming months or years.

They could form a lethal partnership at the top end of the pitch if the U21s star can translate his goalscoring form to the senior squad as he could consistently finish off the high-quality chances that the ex-Norwich maestro has the ability to create.