DONE DEAL: Tottenham Women announce record signing of Beth England

It’s a bit of a tough time to be a Tottenham Hotspur supporter, so about some good news for a change? This was rumored last week, but now it’s official — Tottenham Hotspur Women have just finished what might be the addition of the season, formally announcing the signing of England international and Chelsea striker Bethany England.

WOW!

This is a massive, MASSIVE signing for Tottenham Women. England is joining on a contract that will keep her a Spurs player through the end of the 2025-26 season. Her transfer fee was not discussed, but previous reporting suggested it was in the area of £250k — trivial in comparison to the men’s game, but a number that equals the WSL record for an intra-league transfer and only a slightly behind the overall WSL transfer record.

England, 28, is expected to make an immediate impact in a Tottenham team that has been struggling to score goals this season and has been dealing with significant injuries to key players. She will also be linking up again with former Chelsea teammate Drew Spence, who joined Tottenham this summer. Her move was in part prompted by her desire to force herself back in Sarina Wegman’s Three Lions World Cup squad as she has been drifting out of contention in recent squad call-ups.

But as I wrote earlier, this is not a panacea. Beth England is an incredibly important piece, but Spurs have issues elsewhere, particularly in the area of ball progression. She can’t score if she can’t get the ball, and fans shouldn’t expect her to put the team on her back. Hopefully this is just the first, and probably biggest, piece of the transfer puzzle for Spurs Women this month.

But what a puzzle! Welcome to Tottenham Hotspur, Beth England!