As a footballing institution, Tottenham Hotspur is thriving right now. The first team's surge to table-topping Premier League status has been emphatic and the youth fold are in tandem, among the finest English football has to offer.
How generous Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou is in handing out opportunities for his teenage prospects remains to be seen, but with so many exciting talents, there is sure to be a debut or two across the campaign.
The offensive line, in particular, has seen a rich profusion of precocity come into blossom of late, but despite the sale of world-class talisman Harry Kane in August, newly-appointed captain Heung-min Son is excelling as the focal frontman.
How is Heung-min Son performing?
Son was very much at the epicentre of Tottenham's strife last season, failing to produce the same virtue of his "special" past performances, as was claimed by former boss Jose Mourinho.
Indeed, despite scoring 14 times from 47 appearances throughout the 2022/23 campaign, the South Korean captain was not at the races and toiled as the Lilyewhites slumped to an eighth-placed league finish.
This season, the 31-year-old is very much reinvigorated, posting six goals from his past five appearances in the Premier League, all in the centre-forward position.
He has been excellent, with Postecoglou effusive in his admiration for the forward, saying: "He's been outstanding as a leader and as a player. I've put him in that nine position now and he just works so hard."
Losing Kane was always going to be a bitter pill to swallow, but Tottenham have swiftly wiped the past malaise away and now chart a course for success of a new distinction, and while an established, first-class striker was not signed, Son is proving to be a worthy successor.
The natural left flanker is thriving, yes, but he needs support up front and while the likes of Richarlison and £13m summer signing Alejo Veliz, aged 20, are alternatives, there may come a point where another dimension is needed, and teenage prospect Will Lankshear could be the man for the job.
Who is Will Lankshear?
Lankshear has been at Tottenham since joining from Sheffield United in a deal believed to be worth £2m in 2022, beating Brentford to the exciting talent's signature.
A knee injury suffered last February hampered an exciting first season in London, having posted five goals and two assists across 13 outings and earned praise for his “phenomenal” start to life at the club by Spurs expert John Wenham.
And indeed, since the turn of the summer Lankshear, still only 18, has plundered four goals and an assist from five matches across the Premier League 2 and ERL Trophy.
Given that he has been described by Wenham as a new version of Harry Kane and that he once played for Arsenal's youth side, like the England captain, there's a good chance that he is set up for success under Postecoglou's management.
A natural finisher with a range of skills, he could even be an even better fit than Jamie Donley, with the Spurs youngster touted for big things and dubbed the 'new Harry Kane' himself by the Belfast Telegraph.
Donley, who often plays just behind the centre-forward in a more creative berth, has scored five goals and supplied seven assists from six matches this season, boasting a versatility in his production that very much mirrors Kane.
However, while Donley will undoubtedly get his break this season after earning a place on the bench against Liverpool last month, what Postecoglou needs to complement Son is an out-and-out scorer, and Lankshear, who has been said to be "among the best – if not the best – striker for his age group" by Sky Sports' Lyall Thomas, fits the bill.
