Sheffield United: Why Tottenham Hotspur were forced to pay multi-million pound fee for Will Lankshear
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The teenager joined Tottenham Hotspur in a deal the United manager believes could be worth around £2.5m before tomorrow’s transfer deadline, after Antonio Conte’s employers fought off competition from Brentford.
But had Lankshear not put pen to paper on that agreement with United, then Spurs could have acquired his services for a lot less given that the Elite Player Performance Plan allows top-flight sides to poach talent from the English Football League providing they offer pre-determined sums.
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Hide Ad“When you step outside of that matrix, when you take someone out of that,” Heckingbottom said, referring to EPPP, “It means you’ve got more leverage.”
Aged 17, Lankshear is regarded as one of the country’s most gifted forwards in his age group. Speaking ahead of Sunday’s visit to Hull City - United are preparing for the match on top of the Championship table after beating previous leaders Reading 4-0 last night - Heckingbottom admitted he would have liked to see him remain in South Yorkshire. However, with Lankshear able to depart at the end of the present campaign, staff at the Randox Health Academy realised the game was up when the player and his father both expressed a desire to return to London.
“There’s a professional deal there for him but he doesn’t have to sign it,” Heckingbottom conceded, after United also secured a sell-on clause from Spurs.