Tottenham Women announce loan signing of Korean international Cho So-hyun

Tottenham Hotspur Women are adding another experienced international fooballer to their ranks until the end of the season. Today, after inadvertently being leaked thanks to an early NewsNow headline, Tottenham announced that they have secured West Ham and South Korea midfielder Cho So-hyun on loan until the end of the 2020-21 season, with an option to make the move permanent.

Cho, 32, has been with West Ham since 2019, but she’s been a huge part of South Korean women’s football for years. A box-to-box central midfielder who can play at the 8 or the 6, Cho is considered the best women’s players to come out of South Korea, ever. The captain of South Korea’s national team, Cho is their most-capped player ever with 120 caps and 20 goals to date. She led Korea to the Round of 16 in the 2015 Women’s World Cup, and again captained the side in the 2019 World Cup.

She’s also been a regular in West Ham’s midfield, starting nearly every game. If there’s an equivalent to Son Heung-Min in terms of prestige on the South Korean women’s team, it’s her. Cho’s not a prolific scorer, but she’s a good passer and very good with the ball at her feet and she’s the kind of hard working player who will cover every inch of grass. It’s kind of incredible that West Ham has let her go.

At age 32 Cho isn’t a long-term fix for Tottenham (obvious based on the short term loan deal), but she’s likely going to be able to walk right into Rehanne Skinner’s starting lineup. Her loan is the second high profile experienced loan for Spurs this window after signing Manchester United and England international defender Abbie McManus on a similar deal last week. She brings experience, solidity, and passing ability to Tottenham’s midfield, and she will make them better. And for Korean fans of Tottenham, they’re probably now even more excited to be fans of this club. This is a hell of a signing.

We haven’t seen them together yet, but Son Heung-Min did send a welcome video to Cho on Twitter.

Welcome to Tottenham, Cho So-hyun!