It’s only January 4, but Tottenham Hotspur have been unusually busy in the January transfer window. This morning, they revealed their fourth midseason signing, announcing the loan acquisition of attacker Maika Hamano from Chelsea until the end of the season.
Hamano, 21 years old and a Japan international, joined Chelsea from INAC Kobe Leonessa in 2023. She was a member of Japan’s 2023 World Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics squads, and is considered a talented young offensive player, but she’s seen her minutes limited at Chelsea this season.
Hamano is a versatile player — she’s listed on FBRef as a forward but can play anywhere across the forward attacking band, on both flanks and centrally. The details of her loan were not disclosed, but it appears to be a “dry” loan meaning there is no purchase option at the end. That suggests to me that she is being brought in as emergency cover for Jess Naz, who is out for the rest of the season after an ACL injury a couple of weeks ago. The only downside to Hamano is, alongside fellow Japan international Toko Koga and Claire Hunt, both will miss a couple of games this spring for the Asian Cup.
This is a good signing, even if we have to give her back at the end of the year. Hamano is versatile and talented, and Martin Ho can plug her in virtually anywhere so that gives some tactical flexibility going forward. Hamano joins Matilda Nilden, Hannah Wijk, and Signe Gaupset this month and there are suggestions that Spurs Women aren’t yet finished in the transfer market with names like Julie Blakstad and Larissa Mühlhaus also mentioned.
I’ll say it again — Spurs Women are making some serious moves and are clearly positioning themselves to be in the mix for top four or five this season, though there’s plenty of work left to do. If you’re frustrated with Tottenham’s men’s team, you really really should give Spurs Women a try.