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A signing! Just not the one you were probably thinking of at first. Tottenham Hotspur Women made their second acquisition of the January transfer window, securing the loan of Austria international captain and Arsenal central defender Viktoria Schnaderbeck through the end of the season.
✍️ We are delighted to announce the signing of Viktoria Schnaderbeck on loan from Arsenal for the remainder of the season.
— Tottenham Hotspur Women (@SpursWomen) January 27, 2022
The captain of the Austrian national team will wear the number 11 shirt.
Welcome to Spurs, Viki! pic.twitter.com/8ZQtMuMcns
It seems weird at first blush to see a player willing to go directly from Arsenal to Tottenham Hotspur, but that level of rivalry doesn’t really seem to carry over in the same way in the women’s game. And truth be told, Arsenal are loaded with quality talent, so this could be a good move for everyone.
Schnaderbeck is a 31-year old defender/defensive midfielder who joined Arsenal from Bayern Munich in summer of 2019. She also has 53 caps and two goals for her native Austria in international competition, and is the Austrian captain. At Arsenal, she’s been firmly a rotation option having never played more than 900 minutes in any one season, and just 32 minutes so far in this campaign.
I don’t have strong takes on Schnaderbeck, so I reached out to our friends at the Short Fuse for a little more on what she’s all about. Here’s what Aidan Gibson had to say about Spurs’ newest signing:
“She’s not really been involved at Arsenal. Working her way back from a pretty long term injury. Good on the ball, looked good against United in the Conti Cup. Not the quickest, can struggle if she’s in one on one battles, but I imagine she’ll be fine with that at Spurs because they protect their centre backs well”
My best guess? At Spurs she’s likely going to be rotation and competition in Tottenham’s back line, jostling with Shelina Zadorsky and Molly Bartrip for starts, or possibly playing alongside them if Rehanne Skinner opts for a back three formation. Defense has been one of Spurs’ strengths this season, and this move gives cover, or possibly could push both of Spurs’ starters to perform even better.
Looks like a solid acquisition and I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do. Welcome, Viki!
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