Cathinka Tandberg became our final signing of the summer after she joined us from Hammarby IF on transfer deadline day (Thursday 5 September).
The 21-year-old Norway international has racked up an impressive goalscoring record during her spells in Norway and Sweden, scoring 54 goals across all competitions, including last-minute winners in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
As she now embarks on a new challenge in England with us, we look back at the striker's career to date…
Impressing in Oslo
Born in Oslo, Norway, ‘Tinka’ spent the early part of her youth career in the capital, joining IL Heming at the age of five. She began playing in various boys’ sides during her time there, before being part of a girls’ team.
Remaining in her hometown, the young forward made the move to Stabaek in 2018, on the west border of Oslo, where she continued her development with the Norwegian side.
Very much still in the early stages of her promising career, she featured more regularly for their reserve squad for a season before, at the age of 16, she was spotted by fellow Oslo-based side Lyn in 2020.
Continuing her rapid rise through Norway’s football divisions, Tinka made her first-ever senior appearance in the Toppserlen (Norway’s top flight), coming on as a second-half substitute in Lyn’s 5-2 defeat to Avaldsnes IL.
Making 15 appearances in her first season, the powerful attacker netted her first senior goal in September, 2021, to help her side to a 3-1 victory over Avaldsnes this time. Across her three seasons at the Club, she made 55 appearances for the Oslo-based side, scoring five goals, before her impressive performances at a young age saw a new opportunity arise in Sweden.
Part of Norway’s Under-19s squad for the Under-19 European Championships in July, 2022, the striker started in all of her nation’s fixtures in the competition, where she scored in the opener against England, as they reached the final before losing 2-1 to Spain.
A new adventure and international debut
Embarking on a new adventure in a different country – the first time she moved away from Norway – Tinka made the switch to Linkoping in 2023 and took no time to settle into her new surroundings in the Damallsvenskan (Swedish top flight).
Scoring on her debut for the club, a 3-1 win over KIF Orebro DFF, she certainly made her mark in her maiden campaign in Sweden, winning the league’s golden boot with 19 goals in 26 league games, with six of those coming in a single fixture against IFK Kalmar, and let’s not overlook the seven assists as well, taking up her goal involvement for the season to 26 in total.
Alongside her excellent performances in the league, she was just as clinical in front of goal in the Swedish Cup, netting four goals across their three matches.
This caught the eye of the national team coach as, in October, 2023, she received a call-up to the Norway senior squad for their 2023/24 UEFA Women’s Nations League squad and made her international debut against France, coming on as a late second-half substitute.
Despite not finding the back of the net in the opening eight games of the following campaign, although she picked up two assists, Tinka scored five goals in the next six games and the then 19-year-old's impressive performances secured her a move to Hammarby IF in August, 2024.
Hammarby IF and Champions League success
Despite changing new teams midway through a campaign, she continued her fantastic goalscoring form in her new colours, netting on her debut in an 8-0 victory over Trelleborgs. The hardworking forward went on to score 11 goals in 12 league games in the second half of the campaign, concluding with 18 goals and four assists in total.
However, her standout moment from that season came in the UEFA Women’s Champions League as a 95th-minute winner over Benfica in the qualifying round helped Bajen progress into the group stage for the first-ever time. She went on to feature eight times in the competition, scoring a further two goals.
Injuries hampered the forward’s start to the 2025 campaign, featuring 15 times in the league, with six of those coming on as a substitute, and scored one goal but it was her impact in the UEFA Women’s Champions League once again that certainly caught the eye before her move to north London.
As Hammarby IF faced Metalist 1925 Kharkiv in the first qualifying round of the competition, Tinka stepped off the bench in the second half to net a brace to help her side to a 5-4 win, including a last-minute winner to set-up a clash with fellow WSL side Manchester United.