PREVIEW: Can Tottenham Hotspur recover from their 2024-25 horror season? | OneFootball

Tottenham’s 2024/25 campaign saw Robert Vilahamn’s side finish in 11th place – their lowest ever league position. They lost 12 of 22 WSL fixtures, including heavy defeats to Manchester City (5-0) and Chelsea (4-1).

Defensive fragility

Last season, Spurs conceded 44 goals – an average of two goals a game – a statistic only beaten by Palace.

They particularly struggled to defend set pieces, conceding multiple goals from corners and free kicks.

This lack of defensive resilience not only undermined their attacking efforts but also impacted their confidence, making it difficult to recover from setbacks when they did go behind.

Missing Clinton and Bizet

In the summer of 2024, Manchester United recalled Grace Clinton from her loan spell after a standout season with Tottenham – the midfielder registered eight goal contributions and helped Spurs secure a sixth-place finish.

She was soon joined back in Manchester by winger Celin Bizet. Both players went on to enjoy strong campaigns for United: Bizet recorded two goals and six assists, while Clinton scored eight times.

Their departures left a significant void at Spurs, who struggled to establish a cohesive attacking shape without them. Injuries and unsuccessful tactical adjustments added to the problem – veteran forward Bethany England was often played out of position, for example.

Managerial shakeup

After last season’s underwhelming 11th-place finish, Tottenham cut ties with head coach Robert Vilahamn and turned to Martin Ho. The former Manchester United assistant worked under Casey Stoney and current United head coach Marc Skinner before departing for Norway’s SK Brann.

With Brann, Ho made history by leading the club out of the Champions League group stage – the first time a Norwegian team achieved the feat. He also secured a second-place league finish, and a Norwegian Cup semi-final.

Ho has started well in London, guiding Spurs to a 4-3 pre-season win over a strong Arsenal side.

A cause for concern is that so far, Spurs’ only signing is 19-year-old Japanese centre-back Tōko Koga. Signed from Feyenoord, Koga made headlines at the SheBelieves Cup by scoring the winner against the United States to seal Japan’s title.

Talented but still raw, she’s more one for the future than an immediate difference-maker in the WSL.

Player to watch: Olivia Holdt

Holdt arrived in Tottenham from FC Rosengård in January this year. With Spurs struggling for form and frequent changes to style of play and formation, Holdt has not managed to make a huge impact. Since January, she has scored one goal and registered one assist.

With half a WSL season under her belt and with the arrival of Ho, the stage is set for the 24-year-old to play a bigger role in the 2025-26 season. In her last 10 games for Rosengård, she scored 10 goals and assisted twice. In her last full season at the Danish club, she scored 14 goals in 18 games, adding four assists.

Key signing: Tōko Koga

As Tottenham’s only signing of the summer (correct as of the 2nd September 2025), Koga is the only choice.

Can Spurs recover from last season and progress up the league?

Last season, Spurs escaped relegation because one team lost more games and conceded more goals. That team was newly promoted Crystal Palace – however Tottenham cannot rely on this year’s promoted team to perform similarly poorly.

London City Lionesses have made a number of high profile signings this summer, including Danielle van de Donk from Lyon, Alana Kennedy and Katie Zelem from Angel City in the NWSL, and Nikita Parris from Brighton.

With other clubs making similar waves, it could be very easy for a club like Spurs – already behind based on last season – to slip even further. This is particularly true if they do not catch up with some major reinforcements of their own.