Tottenham slammed over £70m sale of two top talents – ‘It looks like an utter disaster’

Tottenham Hotspur have been heavily criticised for sanctioning Will Lankshear’s move to Championship outfit Middlesbrough over the summer, alongside the departure of another top talent destined for the top.

The north London club currently sit bottom of the Premier League table after a disastrous start to the 2026/27 season, despite having spent in excess of £300million on new signings.

Indeed, Roberto De Zerbi has been backed more than any other Tottenham manager in recent times, having guided the club away from relegation by the skin of its teeth on the final day of last season.

All areas of De Zerbi’s squad were bolstered, although the addition of an elite striker was clearly a blunder by transfer chiefs, with Spurs scoring their first two league goals of the season against Aston Villa last time out.

One player who could have helped in that regard was Lankshear, who was long-heralded as Harry Kane’s natural successor in north London.

However, Tottenham opted to cash in on the 21-year-old when they sold him to Middlesbrough for £10m in a deal that could rise to £20m with add-ons.

While Spurs have been struggling to find the back of the net in the early stages of the season, Lankshear has been on fire for Boro, scoring eight goals in his first 11 matches for the club.

And Tottenham ‘expert’ John Wenham believes CEO Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange have had an “utter disaster” when it comes to how they dealt with Lankshear.

“It does [look silly] when you exclude Richarlison out of choice as well, because it basically means all we have got now is a Dominic Solanke that’s devoid of confidence, Mathys Tel is devoid of confidence either on the left wing or as a striker, and I think Marmoush is better suited playing as a 10 or off the wing than as a striker,” Wenham told Tottenham News.

“We have actually let go of a striker that is bang in confidence, that’s got the correct build to be a striker, especially in a De Zerbi system.

“He’s English, he supports the club, and he’s scoring goals for fun, it doesn’t just look like a mistake, it looks like an utter disaster to have moved Lankshear on.”

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Tottenham also accused of Vuskovic blunder

Meanwhile, Tottenham have also been criticised for letting Luka Vuskovic leave to join Brighton for £46m, plus a further £4m in add-ons to take it up to £50m.

Vuskovic has been in superb form for a Seagulls side who currently sit third in the Premier League table, having been signed as a replacement for Jan Paul van Hecke, who moved to Spurs for £52m earlier in the summer window.

The contrast between the two could not be more stark, with Vuskovic flying and Van Hecke being heavily criticised for his performances for club and country.

And former Everton CEO Keith Wyness has argued that Tottenham were forced to “sacrifice” Vuskovic due to a lack of a “succession plan”.

“It’s early days, and I think we’ve got to stress it is five games in. But there is a feeling that certainly that’s the way it’s going (Brighton better off),” Wyness told Football Insider.

“The weakness from Spurs’ point of view is that they were sacrificing a young generational talent for a 26-year-old who needed to come in because they hadn’t got the succession plan in place for stability in the defence.

“That’s where the fault lies, and it probably is the case that Brighton will have got the better of the deal.

“I think that will probably be the case as we end up at the end of the season and review it. Certainly, we’ve got to believe that’s the case right now.

“It’s the lack of succession, where we know Brighton have been superb in succession planning.

“Here is a gap where Spurs didn’t have the succession planning in place, and now they’ve been made to pay for it, and they’ve had to sacrifice a young generational talent for that.”

Spurs are back in action on October 10 when they head to Old Trafford to face a Man Utd side not in the best of form, with De Zerbi facing the prospect of the sack if results do not improve quickly.