What do Spurs Women supporters want for the new year? Here is a wishlist for the January Transfer Window, with a focus on wingers and midfielders, plus a few wildcard options.

By Jack Howes (Additional comment by Alfred).
1^st December 2025

This is a good time to be a Spurs Women Supporter. We are fifth in the league, only a point off third and playing attractive football while developing exciting young players.

Hurrah!

After the misery of finishing 11th last season, eighth, ninth or tenth would have represented progress. To be fifth nine games into the season and in a Subway Cup quarter-final feels positively vertiginous. Martin Ho and the players have been superb and deserve all the praise they are currently receiving.

While everyone at Spurs should feel happy with how the women’s team have started the season, there is the potential to be doing even better. Noises coming out the club about the women’s team are promising in this regard. Vinai Venkatesham, Spurs’ new CEO, has attended multiple games at Brisbane Road this season, even bringing Spurs Non-Executive Chairman, Peter Charrington, on a rare visit to England from his base in the Bahamas to watch our home win against Liverpool. Venkatesham said at the Club Forum in October that January was an especially ‘important’ transfer window for the women’s team. Martin Ho also spoke recently about the need to add depth to the squad.

We have been down this road before of course. Two years ago Robert Vilahamn spoke of Spurs being a Champions League team ‘within three years’. So I’m not expecting us to be away at St Polten next season.

But at now, more than at any other time in Spurs Women’s history it feels like the upper ranks of the club’s hierarchy are backing the women’s team. Norwegian starlet Signe Gaupset (my dream signing when I wrote about potential transfer targets in August) is joining in January for a record fee of around £400,000, while this recent Athletic article revealed that both Toko Koga and Cathinka Tandberg’s transfers over the summer each cost more than Spurs previous record fee of £250,000.

More money spent and continued good recruitment, allied to sound coaching and development of existing players is how we’ll keep ascending the table. From Spurs this season we have seen an excellent defence and flashes of good play in attack, though with struggles to generate goals and chances from the wings. Neither of our specialist wingers, Jess Naz and Matilda Vinberg, have yet scored in the league this season and have only mustered one assist between them.

In midfield Eveliina Summanen and Drew Spence are a solid enough starting duo. But Spence is having to regularly play for 90 minutes aged 33, while Summanen had to play the Liverpool game with whatever a ‘bit of a fracture(d)’ rib is supposed to be. More depth in midfield is urgently needed.

In January, those two areas should be the priority. Below I suggest players we should be looking at in both areas. For context, these are players I feel we can semi-realistically sign, both in terms of the money they would cost and their willingness to join Spurs. I am also looking for players whose contracts expire soon and can be signed either for free in January, or a lower than usual transfer fee if their contract expires within the next year.

Ideal winger

Yuzuki Yamamoto

Yuzuki Yamamoto is a 23-year-old winger, playing for Tokyo Verdy Beleza in Japan’s WE League. Two footed and mostly playing on the right, though capable of playing on the left as well, this compilation of hers is a delight to watch – the first two minutes in particular are outrageous. She possesses pace, dribbling ability and great technical skill. While not an outstanding goalscorer, she has excellent delivery and last season was named MVP for the WE League, also making her debut for a stacked Japan national team.

Spurs have never signed a player from the WE League and I am not getting my hopes up we are starting now. However, if I had a real life Queen’s Nose and had finished wishing for world peace and trans rights, I would wish for us to sign Yamamoto. I think she is an outstanding WSL winger in waiting and would add a stick of dynamite to our attack. Plus of course we have Toko Koga at the club to help her acclimatise. If someone associated with Spurs Women reads this, *please* do look at her clips and stats. You won’t be disappointed.

Alfred adds:

Why Yanamoto is the ideal January signing for Spurs. An ongoing issue this season is our difficulty in scoring goals from open play against higher-tier teams. There is more than one solution but many of us have noticed the lack of playmaking, including crosses into the box, from our wingers. In Damallsvenskan Olivia Holdt played almost exclusively on the left but Martin Ho has more often employed her as a number 10. With Gaupset’s signing we should have the left-wing spot solved for the foreseeable future – either with Gaupset there or by switching her and Holdt back and forth.

I have previously argued that the right-wing is where we look anaemic. I still think that holds. A player like Jess Naz might do well here, but she does not have the playmaking abilities to help out the rest of the forward line and while there are games where her physicality and pace should prove effective she can be inconsistent across the season. So far this season most of our threat from the wings has been via fullbacks, predominantly Amanda Nildén but also Ashleigh Neville when she has been fit. With Gaupset joining we should have resolved this issue on the left side (and hopefully reduced the pressure on Nildén) but what is the solution for the right wing? Enter Yuzuki Yamamoto.

The easiest way to describe Yuzuki Yamamoto is to compare her to the players we have currently used on the right wing. She is basically the opposite, not just in capability but also in preference about how she plays. She possesses wonderful dribbling ability – and if she were to join Spurs she might be a better dribbler than any other player currently in the WSL. But it is not all flash and no end product. Rather, Yamamoto is an excellent technician capable of providing both goals and assists and has done so consistently over several seasons. Her dribbling style means she can either cut in centrally to threaten goal herself or move towards the corner flag to find an assist. She is right-footed and takes most of her shots with that foot, but she has scored several really nice goals with her left, including a couple of volleys. Alongside that she is willing to take on shots from just outside the box and has a very good long-range shot. But a lot of her utility will come from the fact that when she does not herself go for goal, she provides opportunities for her teammates to score – via terrific crosses or through-balls. Her ability to use her left foot in passing or through-ball delivery is really neat – I’d love to see her use it on crosses every once in a while, as well to add extra dynamism, but that’s being greedy perhaps.

At least in WE League terms Yamamoto is strong on the ball. It is tough to estimate how that would translate to the more physical WSL. But Yuzuki is not especially small, so while there would likely be a learning curve, I’d wager she is not particularly vulnerable to being bullied off the ball. In terms of speed, she looks rapid but not extraordinarily so. But having only seen her playing against relatively unfamiliar opponents this feels a bit like guesswork.

She has modest international experience at senior level, getting 10–20 minutes per game, sometimes played out of position as a right back. But Yamamoto has only been part of the senior Japan squad since May this year. Previously she was an integral part of the U-19 squad that won the Asian Football Cup tournament in 2019, scoring several goals, including one in the final and was part of the squad that got silver in the 2022 U-20 world championships.

The WSL has truly woken up to Japanese talent pool over the last few years, and there are currently more Japanese players represented in the league than any other (non-home) nation. Yamamoto is one of the most talented players in the WE League – she was named the MVP in the WE League last season and was also included in the Best XI. She is therefore unlikely to be cheap. However, her contract is up in summer of 2026 so this is the time to test the waters and avoid a free-agency free for all.

There may be questions about how quickly Yamamoto could adapt. As a general rule you need to give a signing from a different league six months to adapt and I’d expect that to be true here. Which means that she might not play a key role this season but rather grow into a starter for the next one. Since realistically we’re unlikely to hit Champions League spots this season, and even more unlikely to be relegated, getting her in and integrating her into the team is enough. It would also elevate the team’s chance for a flying start in 2026/27. That said, I’d wager she’d show more than a few flashes of brilliance this season as well.

Other wingers

Julie Blakstad

Julie Blakstad is a 24-year-old Norwegian left winger, currently playing for Hammarby in Sweden. If the name sounds familiar it is because she has previous WSL experience, signing for Man City in 2022 to considerable hype. While she showed flashes there, over two years she rarely got much game time, kept out of the team by Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly, Mary Fowler and others. Returning to Scandinavia in 2024 she has had two excellent years for Hammarby, winning the Damallsvenskan last season and notching up a combined 23 goals and 14 assists over two league seasons. She also has 30 Norway caps, on a national team full of attacking talent.

Blakstad is a traditional left-footed winger who will stay out wide, get crosses in and attack the back post where possible. She has increasingly played at left back at Hammarby, which comes in extremely handy with full back being another position where we are short. She is out of contract at the end of December. Combining her quality as a player, WSL experience, versatility and the £0 she will cost in transfer fees, this a common sense signing for us to make.

Olaug Tvedten

Olaug Tvedten is a 25-year-old forward, playing for Valerenga in Norway. She was the top scorer in this year’s Toppserien with 19 goals. Often playing as a 10 or inside left in a 3-4-3, she has been a dominant player domestically in Norway for two seasons, racking up an astonishing 60 combined goals and assists in all competitions.

She is very different to a more traditional winger like Blakstad. Tvedten plays more centrally, cutting in from the left on her right foot and finding space between opposing defences and midfield. Playing for a Valerenga team who dominate most domestic games, she has played more like a left sided striker than a standard winger.

With Olivia Holdt and Gaupset likely our two choices as #10s, tactically I wonder how Tvedten would fit playing as a winger in Martin Ho’s 4-2-3-1. She would be playing in a deeper, wider role, with maybe less freedom to cut inside than what she is used to. However, she is a very good dribbler, has a great knack for finding space, knows where the goal is and like Blakstad is available on a free this January. She would be an interesting addition.

Lauren Davidson

Lauren Davidson is a 24-year-old Scottish forward, plying her trade for Ho’s former team Brann in the Toppserien. Joining Brann halfway through their 2024 season, she had a quiet start in Norway with four combined goals and assists in her first ten games, before exploding into life this season with 13 goals and 12 assists. A tall and powerful right-winger also capable of playing up front she can dribble, attacks the back post well and has lots of experience of both Ho’s coaching and Gaupset’s playmaking.

Having only played in Scotland and Norway so far, a worry is whether she can make the step-up to the WSL. She is also under contract, so it would require a transfer fee – and Brann, having lost Ho and Gaupset to us, may be reluctant to lose Davidson too. However, if Ho is keen for us to sign her, he deserves the club’s backing in making a move happen.

Felicia Schröder

Felicia Schröder is an 18-year-old striker and occasional right-winger, currently playing for Hacken in the Damallsvenskan.

Schröder is a phenomenon. This year in Sweden she scored 30 goals in 26 league games, adding 11 assists into the bargain. Watching this compilation, you see how outrageously easy she makes scoring goals. She puts the ball in the net with the alacrity of Ronnie O’Sullivan potting a black off the spot. With her pace, the timing of her runs and then her finishing ability, no defender in Sweden can get near her. She can also dribble and cross off the wing. Her talent is ridiculous.

Honestly, it’s very unlikely we will be able to sign her. She has been linked with Barcelona and other huge names in European football. And unlike Gaupset, who was similarly linked with the great and the good in women’s football, we cannot draw on existing personal relationships.

However… if Spurs truly are ambitious and want to make an enormous splash this transfer window, this would do it. And if we are establishing ourselves as a team who develop young players well and give them regular football in a high-quality league, we have plenty to offer players like Schroder. Adding her to Holdt, Gaupset and Tandberg would form the greatest Scandinavian foursome since ABBA.

Midfielders

Lexi Potter

Lexi Potter is a 19-year-old midfielder, currently struggling for game time at Chelsea.

Potter is a footballing prodigy and has played for all the England age groups up to the senior team, often as captain. A regular starting berth for the Lionesses in the future seems assured. She has been at Chelsea since the age of eight and in 2023 signed a professional contract at 17, becoming the youngest female footballer in England to do so. She has spent the last two seasons on loan at Crystal Palace, playing a key role in their promotion to the WSL and then being one of their better players in last season’s relegation-doomed campaign.

She is a box-to-box player who is mobile, excellent on the ball and would do good things for our ball progression from the back. She has great talent and would be another key player we build around for years to come.

After two years starting regularly for Palace, Potter is back at Chelsea this season but has struggled desperately for game time, not even making the bench for many WSL games. Her only minutes have been off the bench in dominant Champions League wins. She has a long-term contract so any move would be costly but given Chelsea’s midfield depth she may be years away from even rotation minutes there. Good money for Chelsea’s coffers and a regular starting berth in the WSL for her may please both parties.

Kyra Cooney-Cross

Kyra Cooney-Cross is a 23 year old midfielder for Arsenal, well known to women’s football fans around the world.

Suggesting a player who plays for ‘them lot down the road’ may seem ridiculous. Even if the player were interested, surely no way Arsenal would sell such a gifted player to Spurs. For a few reasons however, I’m not completely ruling out a move.

First, Cooney-Cross has barely played for them this season, the North London derby being her first start of this campaign. She hasn’t been injured and has only missed one game due to illness. She simply hasn’t been picked by Renee Slegers. Second, while Arsenal frustratingly never make public the contract lengths of their players, a consensus from online articles suggest she initially signed for Arsenal until 2025, with an option for one more year. If that is true, and presuming that option was taken up, she will be out of contract in the summer.

This means Arsenal have a player of considerable value, barely playing for them, out of contract in the summer but who would command a considerable fee in January. Given Arsenal initially signed her for a fee of around £300,000, losing her for nothing would sting. For the player, in coming to us she would link up with ‘bestie’ Charli Grant, get regular football for a team level in the table with her current employers and would not even need to move house. And of course she’s shown her support for us in the past.

This move would suit all parties – except for the massive elephant in the room that would be Arsenal selling to Spurs. Still, perhaps Venkatesham can call in a few favours this month? If not now, this is definitely worth pursuing in the summer if she does indeed become a free agent.

Emilie Joramo

Emilie Joramo is a 23-year-old defensive midfielder, starting regularly for Hammarby in the Damallsvenskan.

Joramo is a mobile midfielder who is energetic, covers space and does all the things defensive midfielders should do. She shows for the ball well, passes effectively and is a profile of player we badly need. She’s the sort of player who may never get a statue, but every team needs a Joramo or someone like that to lay the foundations. She has three caps for Norway, is a semi-regular squad member of theirs currently and would be joining international teammates Signe and Tinka were she to join.

Slightly unusually her contract expires in June 2026, halfway through the Swedish League season. While she would be available on a free then, she is sure to gather interest from clubs around Europe and would be an invaluable signing now, for what shouldn’t be a massive fee.

Ary Borges

Ary Borges is a 25-year-old Brazilian international midfielder, currently playing for Racing Louisville in the NWSL.

Starting her career as an attacking midfielder, scoring a hat-trick in the 2023 World Cup against Panama, she has increasingly played in more defensive roles since then and now mostly plays as a defensive midfielder. In her stats, you see her numbers for passes and shots decline while her tackles and interceptions increase year-on-year.

With 47 Brazilian caps, she has a lot of pedigree and experience for her age. She is mobile, a good ball carrier, gets stuck in and while she is now playing more defensively, retains her ability on the ball. Available on a free in January, she’d provide excellent value and be the first Brazilian to play for Spurs Women.

Miharu Shinjo

Miharu Shinjo is an 18-year-old midfielder and teammate of the aforementioned Yuzuki Yamamoto for Tokyo Verdy Beleza in Japan’s WE League.

Shinjo is incredibly highly regarded, having made her Japan debut earlier this year after being named MVP of the 2024 Under 17 World Cup and being voted 2024-25 WE League Young Player of the Year. At such a young age she is already playing week in, week out domestically. In Japan she is widely feted as a star and future captain of the national team.

Playstyle-wise, she has been widely compared to Manchester City genius Yui Hasegawa. Looking at this compilation. While not as physically slight as Hasegawa, you can see some of the comparisons and Shinjo’s shimmies, stepovers and dribbling ability shine through. There is a joy to how she plays through that I would love to see in person at Brisbane Road.

Were she to join, she would need to develop physically. That said, while there is always the risk a burly opponent wipes her out, she could just as easily nutmeg such opponents and make them look silly. With Toko here for company too, she would be helped to acclimatise. Shinjo is going to be an exceptional midfielder for some of the world’s best teams someday – I would love that team to be us, sooner rather than later.

Wildcards

Jenna Nighswonger – Miss Marple would struggle to unravel the mystery of Jenna Nighswonger. A 25-year-old left back good enough to play 15 times for the USWNT over the last two years, she has struggled to even make the bench for Arsenal this season. Is she injured? Suddenly devoid of talent? Terrible in the team WhatsApp? Who knows. But she’s an athletic, talented left-back who must be desperate for pastures new in January. No harm in making a phone call to gauge her availability.

Hanna Lundkvist – A 23-year-old Swedish right back, currently playing in the NWSL for the San Diego Wave. Quick, good on the ball, and very consistent, she’s the type of player every manager loves to have. 27 Sweden caps shows her pedigree. Available on a free this winter, adding her would mean with Ella Morris right back is a long-term position of strength.

Hanna Wijk – a 21-year-old Hacken defender who can play right and left back is another young Swedish full back available for free we may well be looking at in January.

Lisa Naalsund – 30-year-old midfielder and squad player for Manchester United, who will be known to Martin Ho from his time as Assistant Manager there. I would not love this signing – I think generally we should be looking at younger players with more potential – but she would do a job for us and has useful experience. She is out of contract in the summer. This, combined with her age, would mean a transfer fee for her in January would be relatively small. Defender Gabby George under the same criteria (aging, plays for Man United, known to Martin Ho, not getting much game time currently) would also be a cheap squad player who would add defensive depth.

Montserrat Saldivar – A freakishly talented 19-year-old left winger and striker, currently playing for Club America in Mexico’s Liga MX Apertura. Has scored 25 goals in 31 games this season, mostly playing as a striker having previously predominantly played left back and left wing. Tall, fast and with an amazing left foot, this compilation shows her talent, against some admittedly not world class opposition. Would be an amazing signing, though seems more likely she will eventually head to the NWSL or a club in Spain.

Trinity Rodman – One of the best wingers in the world, 23-year-old Trinity Rodman is likely leaving the Washington Spirit this winter because she is literally too good for the NWSL: the NWSL’s salary cap is sufficiently stringent that no team in the league can pay Rodman close to what she would earn abroad. Every team in the world would want her on their team, which makes her signing for Spurs seemingly an impossibility. However, if Venkatesham wants to make a massive splash and transform Spurs Women overnight, signing Rodman would be the way to do it. A King’s (Queen’s?) ransom would be required in terms of wages, but we’d also make huge inroads into American fan bases if by the miracle of miracles, we pulled this move off. There’s a 0.01% chance we sign her, but such are the rewards it’s worth at least enquiring.