Will Lankshear says his Oxford United loan felt like more than a temporary spell, and the numbers back up why he left such a mark. He finished the season as Oxford's top scorer with 12 goals and four assists in 47 appearances. He also says there was a possibility of moving in January, but he chose to stay.
Why Lankshear wanted to stay
Lankshear's own explanation is pretty clear. Speaking to bbc.co.uk, he said: "People talk about loans and just being a loanee, but I didn't feel like that. I felt like a signing and I felt like I was there (permanently), I made such good relationships with all the contracted players, the physios, everyone at the club, so when everyone's so good to me I couldn't not give my absolute all."
He added: "There was a possibility of me going but I said that I wanted to stay at Oxford. The club had been great to me and were giving me great playing time so I didn't feel it was necessary to move."
That is more than a neat quote. It matches the shape of his season. Lankshear scored 12 goals and registered four assists in 47 appearances for Oxford, and he ended the campaign as their top scorer.
Why the final stretch mattered
The most eye-catching part of the season is probably the finish. Lankshear had eight goal contributions in Oxford's final 12 matches, which is the kind of run that gives a loan spell some weight beyond just minutes on the pitch.
He was not simply filling a squad spot. He gave Oxford end product, and he did it across a full season rather than in a short burst. That is why his words about feeling settled sound credible, even if the contract reality remained a loan.
There is still a Tottenham question sitting behind all of this. Since returning to Tottenham, he has only two recent competitive appearances in the curated stats. His next step is still to be decided, but Oxford gave him a platform that clearly suited him.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
