Tottenham Hotspur enter the 2026-27 Women's Super League season with genuine optimism after matching their best-ever league finish last term, and there is a growing belief that manager Martin Ho can push the club even further this time around.
Spurs finished fifth in the WSL last season, four points better off than their previous best campaign in 2021-22, and they narrowed the gap to fourth place from ten points down to just four. That progress looks even more striking considering the club had finished 11th the season before Ho's arrival.
The turnaround under Ho has coincided with increased backing from the club hierarchy. This summer's transfer business has drawn attention across the division, headlined by the club-record arrival of centre-back Alice Sombath and goalkeeper Selma Panengstuen, alongside experienced WSL figures Shekiera Martinez and Kirsty Hanson. Notably, Tottenham wrapped up their top five transfer targets early in the window, allowing the squad a fuller pre-season together.
Pre-season form included wins over Granada and Birmingham, a 5-0 thrashing of Bristol City, and a narrow 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid. Ho was particularly encouraged by the emphatic win over Bristol City, saying: "As I've said to the players, we have a good enough squad with depth in it that we can really compete."
The intensity of pre-season training has been a talking point among the squad. New signing Martinez described the sessions as demanding but worthwhile, saying: "The intensity is really high, the training has been really tough, so I can't wait until the league starts."
Sombath arrives with considerable pedigree, having won a Champions League title and five league titles with Lyonnes before her move to north London. The 22-year-old, capable of playing centre-back or right-back, was developed under current Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor and has worked alongside seasoned defenders Wendie Renard and Griedge Mbock. She earned her first France cap in November 2024 and featured in all four of the nation's matches at Euro 2025.
Hanson, meanwhile, may prove to be one of the shrewdest signings of the window. The 28-year-old joined from Aston Villa after finishing as the WSL's third-highest scorer last season, only one goal behind Alessia Russo and nine behind Golden Boot winner Khadija Shaw — remarkable output for a midfielder.
Captain Drew Spence has also earned praise from teammates. Vice-captain Victoria Pelova spoke highly of her new skipper, saying: "I'm training now with her and I think she's so underrated. It's better when people call you underrated and all your teammates know how good you are. I think Drew is really good. So, she really surprised me. 'Surprised me' sounds bad, but it's more just that now I'm training with her every day, I'm like: 'Wow'."
Statistically, Tottenham's 2025-26 campaign was something of an anomaly in front of goal. Excluding penalties, they outperformed their expected goals tally by 1.55, driven largely by strong open-play finishing — 8.12 goals above expectation — offset by a poor return from set pieces, where they underperformed by 6.57 goals. Their average of 0.30 set-piece goals per game was worse than any men's team across Europe's top five leagues, suggesting untapped potential in that area.
Off the pitch, the women's team has seen structural change following the departure of former chairman Daniel Levy and the arrival of chief executive Vinai Venkatesham in April 2025. Turnover for the women's side rose from £3.39m to £4.41m in the year ending June 2025, though matchday revenue dipped slightly. The club suffered a setback in July when a high-court ruling blocked plans for a new women's and girls' football academy at Whitewebbs Park.
Spurs will again play the majority of home fixtures at Leyton Orient's Brisbane Road, with selected matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, including a clash with Arsenal on 25 October and a fixture against Manchester United in February.
With heavy investment across the WSL, matching or improving on last season's finish will not be straightforward, but with Ho's tactical approach and squad depth, Tottenham are being tipped by many as a team capable of upsetting the division's bigger spenders.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football.