Dane Scarlett or Will Lankshear, who should Tottenham keep for next season?

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to one of their academy graduates to be the club’s third-choice striker next season, but should the role go to Dane Scarlett or Will Lankshear?

Tottenham are interested in signing Yoane Wissa from Brentford, and he may compete with Dominic Solanke for the centre forward position. 

Having a quality backup striker is important, but with a busy fixture list and unforeseen injuries, a third option is sometimes necessary too. This will be particularly true if Thomas Frank decides to play with two at the front.

Tottenham already have two readily available strikers in Dane Scarlett and Will Lankshear. Both players appeared and made their way onto the scoresheet for Spurs last season, but which one should remain at the club to add depth to the Tottenham first-team squad?

Dane Scarlett or Will Lankshear: Which striker is better for Tottenham Hotspur?

Scarlett has long been known as a player with heaps of potential. His record at U18 level was particularly impressive, as he averaged a goal per game. Jose Mourinho even handed the youngster his debut, as he wanted to be the first manager to pick him for a Premier League fixture, due to his potential. 

After returning from a loan move in January, Scarlett showed his capabilities by bagging a goal and an assist in just 25 minutes against Elfsborg. He also managed to get an assist in the league, despite only playing for half an hour across three matches.

Lankshear also did well at youth level, scoring 25 goals in 36 appearances for Tottenham U21s. He has less experience representing the Spurs senior team, although he did score against Galatasaray in the Europa League. Unfortunately, he was sent off later in the game. 

With neither player having spent much time in the first-team, deciding which would be better at Spurs is not straightforward. However, Scarlett did slightly more in the limited time he had on the pitch.

Scarlett has had more senior experience than Lankshear

Scarlett has already been on loan three times and his first spell away from Tottenham was three years ago. Lankshear, on the other hand, was only loaned out for the first time in January, where he made 11 appearances for West Brom.

A loan move would be more beneficial for Lankshear. He has very little experience of playing at a senior level, particularly for a 20-year-old. If he is able to make 30+ appearances next season in the EFL, that could go a long way in helping him take his game to the next level.

Whereas Scarlett has made more than 60 appearances on loan for Portsmouth, Ipswich Town and Oxford United. Now would be a good time to test him in the first-team and see if he has what it takes to make it at Tottenham. At 21 years old, loaning him out for another year just feels like prolonging the inevitable. He needs a chance in the Spurs need this season.

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