Julie Blakstad feels the ambitions from the Club match her own and is now ready for another opportunity in the Barclays Women’s Super League after becoming our fourth signing of the winter.
The Norway international, who has 31 caps to her name, joined us from Swedish side Hammarby IF following the expiration of her contract, penning a long-term contract as she embarks on a new chapter in her career and a return to England.
“Spurs have a really good team, with a good mix of young and experienced players, which I think is great. This is a club with ambitions, and even though it’s a young club, I know that both players and staff members have high ambitions, which I really like.
“I also like that they focus on development, which I think is really important for me. I’ve always said that I wanted to play against the best players as often as possible - and I think this is definitely a good opportunity to do that.
“The last time I was here [in the WSL] was four years ago, so I was quite young when I came. It was my first time moving abroad, with a lot of new experiences, and I didn’t play as much as I wanted to, but I think I’ve grown a lot since then. I had two good seasons at Hammarby, including games in the Champions League, which has been really, really cool. It’s definitely really good to be back here.”
With Julie expected to link up with her new team-mates this week ahead of our return to WSL action on Sunday – at home to Leicester City for our first game of the new year – she already has a few familiar faces to lean upon at Hotpsur Way from her time in Sweden and in the national team with Norway.
“I know quite a few players already,” she explained. “I obviously played with Cathinka [Tandberg] at Hammarby IF and Signe [Gaupset] as well in the national team, and also some of the Swedish girls I played with at Häcken. So, it’s really nice coming here and already knowing some of the girls. I’m pretty sure the rest of the team are nice girls as well.”
Predominately a left-sided forward in the early parts of her career, Julie transitioned into a new role last term with Hammarby IF, switching as a full-back on the left, and she certainly made her mark in that position, scoring 18 goals and providing seven assists in 37 games in all competitions.
“I think I bring a lot of offensive style to that position,” she added. “That’s why I like it - I can come into the box quite late, which makes it hard for opponents to pick me up, and I can contribute with goals and assists, which I really enjoy. Hopefully I can bring that offensive part here as well.
On working with Head Coach Martin Ho, she said: “I heard a lot of good things about him as a coach. For me, I see this as an opportunity to develop as a player, not only to win games. In the position I play, and being quite new, I think he has a lot of things that can contribute to making me a better football player, which I find really interesting. I’m really excited to begin working with him.”