Kirsty Hanson Joins Tottenham: A Strategic Move for the WSL

Kirsty Hanson’s name has not dominated the headlines this summer. It probably should.

While the Women's Super League has welcomed a string of high-profile overseas arrivals, one of the shrewdest moves of the window might be happening quietly in north London. Tottenham have taken Kirsty Hanson from Aston Villa – and the numbers say they have signed one of the most dangerous forwards in the country.

Last season, only Khadija Shaw and Alessia Russo scored more WSL goals than the Scotland international. Hanson hit 12 in 22 games for a Villa side that finished ninth. She carried almost half of their attacking output on her back.

From loan gamble to Villa talisman

Hanson’s surge into the spotlight in 2023-24 looked sudden from the outside. It wasn’t.

Her four-year spell at Aston Villa tracked a steady rise, not a flash in the pan. Before that, she had been part of Manchester United’s early years as a professional women’s side, helping to lay foundations before her minutes started to dry up.

By the time Villa took her on loan in 2022, she needed more than a fresh start. She needed to feel like herself again.

“I've got to thank Villa so much. They know that I left on good terms. I really enjoyed my time,” she told BBC Sport. “Everyone there helped me boost my confidence again. Hopefully, I can just build on that now, but I'm not putting pressure on myself.”

She did more than rebuild. She transformed.

Across 100 appearances for Villa, Hanson scored 26 goals and collected two player-of-the-season awards. Last term alone, she was responsible for 43% of Villa’s league goals. She had the best shots-on-target ratio – 50% – of any player in the division’s top five scorers.

She wasn’t just a finisher either. Only two Villa players created more chances than her 16, and she registered the most touches in the opposition box. Off the ball, she ranked among the leading performers in her position for defensive work – tackles, interceptions, the dirty work that rarely makes highlight reels.

Villa had given her a platform. Tottenham have offered a new ceiling.

The pull of Spurs – and of Martin Ho

Leaving a club where you are the star is never easy. Hanson knew that.

“It was obviously a very tough decision to leave Villa but just looking at Spurs, you could see their ambition and each season they have been improving,” she said.

One appointment crystallised that ambition for her: Martin Ho.

“When they appointed Martin as manager, I think that was a big statement because he is one of the best coaches I've worked with.”

Hanson knows Ho well from his spell as assistant at Manchester United between 2020 and 2023. Back then, he saw a player who could become much more than a squad option. Now, with Ho in charge at Spurs, she has become one of his priority signings.

He made her a key target in this window. The club backed him, paying an undisclosed fee to bring her in.

“I know he gets the best out of me with the detail he puts in. I really think that will push me further on in my career,” Hanson said.

That detail is already being felt on the training pitch.

“Training's been really tough. It was probably one of the toughest pre-seasons I've done so far. Martin is challenging us, trying to push us to our limits.

“That's what I really wanted, because I needed a challenge. I don't just want to be signed because they think I'm good, I want them to improve me.”

Spurs aim higher – and competition bites

Tottenham finished fifth last season. Respectable, but not enough for a club now openly talking about the top three and the Women's Champions League.

Hanson is one part of a bolder, more aggressive recruitment drive.

• West Ham’s top scorer Shekiera Martinez has arrived.
• So has France defender Alice Sombath from Lyon, and creative midfielder Victoria Pelova from Arsenal.

Each signing adds quality. Each one also adds jeopardy for anyone who thinks their place is safe.

Hanson welcomes it.

“I'm definitely comfortable [in the WSL] now but I still don't see myself as one of the best. I'm very critical of myself,” she said. “It's going to be tough. I'm not expecting anything. My main aim is just to be better because I've got so many levels to go to. Martin knows that as well.”

She knows the calibre of the dressing room she is walking into.

“I knew the level of players that were here. I'm just so excited to learn from them. I'm also here to help others, because that's what I've done at every club.

“I might not be the most talented but I've got a lot of fight and hunger in me. I literally run through a brick wall for my team. Hopefully I've showed them that.”

For a Spurs side that wants to close the gap on the league’s elite, that mentality might be as valuable as her goals.

A sharper mind, a broader game

Hanson’s evolution has not just been physical or technical. She talks now like a player who understands the rhythm of games, not just the chaos of the penalty area.

The Scotland forward has a degree in sports coaching and speaks about using that knowledge on and off the pitch.

Asked where she has grown most, she said: “I know what to do at different points in the game. I know how to calm players down.”

“Previously when I worked with Martin, I was younger and I wouldn't have been able to cope with that as much. But now I've definitely matured a lot.”

That maturity will matter at a club chasing new territory. Tottenham open their WSL season at home to West Ham on 6 September, with expectation rising around the club and scrutiny ready to follow.

Hanson arrives as one of last season’s most lethal forwards, but at Spurs the challenge changes. She is no longer just the main outlet for a mid-table side. She is part of a deeper, more ambitious squad, fighting for minutes and for trophies.

If her Villa form carries over and Ho unlocks another level, this could be the signing everyone looks back on and wonders how it ever slipped under the radar.