Back to the Nordic well!
We already know one of the players joining Tottenham Hotspur women this January — Norwegian international midfielder Signe Gaupset. Now we know another. This morning, the club announced the signing of 22-year-old Swedish left back Hannah Wijk from defending Swedish champions BK Häcken.
I know what you’re thinking right now — another Swedish player? Spurs have gone to the Nordic well so often over the past three years or so — with the addition of Wijk and Gaupset Spurs will have nine players who are Swedish internationals or who were signed from a Nordic league. And that’s not including former Spurs manager Robert Vilahamn, who was Häcken’s manager at the time and who took them to the Champions League, and current manager Martin Ho, who most recently managed Norwegian side Brann. There’s a reason for that — there are a lot of good players that are coming out of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland right now, and also as it was explained to me by someone much closer to European woso than I am, they don’t pay very good wages in the Damallsvenskan which makes their players ripe for the picking. Tottenham Häckenspur? Well, why not!
And I think Wijk could turn out to be another good signing for Spurs Women. She’s a utility defender but has played mostly at left back for Häcken, which would make her competition with Amanda Nildén and would improve Spurs’ depth in that area. But Wijk also played a number of matches at right back, so it’s possible her future could lie there; that position has been held by Ashleigh Neville, but Neville, Spurs’ longest-tenured player and the only one still at the club from when they were promoted to the WSL, is now 32. I can see Wijk as potentially Ash’s heir-apparent.
In contrast to the men’s team, Spurs Women are having a fantastic season. They’re currently in fifth, four points out of second, and have already equaled their points total for the whole of last season with 11 matches yet to play. They’ve done it by improving their defense, playing solid at the back and trying to be clinical on the counter. They’re not good enough to challenge the likes of Manchester City or Chelsea for the WSL title but they’re making huge strides under Martin Ho in his first season in charge and their signings have been ambitious and successful. Ticked off at Tottenham’s men’s team? You should really try watching the Women.
There are rumors that Spurs Women aren’t done yet in the window — after all, it hasn’t even opened yet. There have been reports that Spurs are targeting Norwegian international and former Manchester City defender Julie Blackstad (another Nordic player!), and there may be others that we’re not aware of.
But for now, Gaupset and Wijk is a pretty good haul. Welcome to Tottenham, Hannah!
Category: General Sports
