OPINION: Is Arsenal loanee Iwabuchi the missing piece of the Spurs puzzle? | OneFootball

When Beth England arrived at Tottenham Hotspur in her big money move from Chelsea at the beginning of the January transfer window, there were some mixed reactions in women’s football circles.

It was almost unequivocally agreed that the Lionesses forward had the quality in attacking areas that the North London club so desperately needed, especially with a number of long-term injuries to key players. However, a few question marks still circled the deal as some wondered if Rehanne Skinner’s team had enough available quality players around England to provide her with the service necessary to be that cutting edge.

England was able to put some of those doubts to bed as she get on the scoresheet on her Spurs debut and she did so without one of the team’s most creative outlets in Ash Neville, who was absent from the fixture due to suspension. Yet, it wasn’t enough as The Lilywhites fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa. Therefore, the cloud of uncertainty still lingered over the deal and whether it would be worth the huge six-figure sum that Spurs had reportedly paid in the long run.

That was until Spurs unveiled the shock signing of Mana Iwabuchi on a loan deal for the second half of the season from North London rivals Arsenal earlier today. Although she hasn’t featured heavily for The Gunners since her arrival from Aston Villa in 2021 and she probably hasn’t reached the levels what we know she is capable of since landing on British shores, the midfielder still has the quality that will provide huge benefit to Spurs. The Lilywhites currently find themselves in ninth position in the Barclays Women’s Super League table for goals scored and the attacking third of the pitch is clearly an area that has been identified for improvement.

With the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 looming on the horizon, Iwabuchi had long been touted with a move away from Arsenal in search of first team minutes and Skinner’s Spurs side will certainly be able to offer that. Despite not living up to her promise thus far, Iwabuchi still signals another level of quality to what is already within the Spurs roster and a consistent run of minutes could be just what she needs to recapture her peak form. If Skinner is able to get the most out of the Japanese international playmaker, she will not only have a standout player on her hands, Iwabuchi will also exponentially improve those around her.

We will see first-hand if Iwabuchi is able to begin to gel with her new teammates when Spurs welcome a rejuvenated Leicester City side to The Breyer Group Stadium on Sunday. She comes into the squad with much expectation on her shoulders and we will soon learn if she is able to live up to it.