Tottenham Hotspur

We’re delighted to announce that Tye Hall has signed a new, long-term contract with the club.

The 18-year-old central midfielder has come up through the ranks in our Academy after joining us as a seven-year-old.

He’s currently enjoying an impressive second full season with our Under-18s, often captaining the side at that level.

Tye turned professional in November, 2024, and was part of our Under-17 Premier League Cup-winning side last term.

In addition to featuring for our Under-18s this season, Tye has made four appearances in the Under-19 UEFA Youth League to date, helping us reach the knockout stages, while he was named in the first team squad for the first time during Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League victory against Eintracht Frankfurt.

We make the short trip to east London to face West Ham United in the Barclays Women’s Super League on Sunday.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match…

What time does the match start?

The game begins at 11.55am UK time.

How can I watch the game?

Supporters in the UK will be able to watch the game live on Sky Sports Mix.

If you’re following us from overseas, check out here to see if the game is live in your area.

As always, our Match Centre here on tottenhamhotspur.com and the Spurs Official app will bring you full live text throughout the game, keeping you fully up-to-date with the action as it happens.

Video highlights will be available on club channels four hours after the full-time whistle, alongside all the post-match reactions.

What is the team news?

Martin Ho said that everyone who faced Liverpool last weekend will be available for selection this weekend.

Defender Charlotte Grant remains out, but has since return to running and is making good progress in her recovery.

Luana Buhler, Jess Naz, Ella Morris and Maite Oroz remain long-term absentees.

Ffion Morgan will miss the London derby for West Ham while goalkeeper Kinga Szemik will be assessed ahead of the game.

Hammers’ recent signing Katie Zelem will be in contention for Sunday after joining on loan from London City Lionesses for the remainder of the season.

Who is the referee?

Sunday’s game will be refereed by Emily Heaslip.

Magdalena Golba and Ruby Skyes will serve as her assistants, with Lisa Benn as the fourth official.

Having watched West Ham this season, where did they struggle in the first half of the campaign?

Tom: “Scoring goals was a huge issue for West Ham. Last season, Viviane Asseyi had the joint most goal involvements of any player in the WSL while Shakeira Martinez scored 10 goals in the league after being recalled from her loan spell at SC Freiburg in January. However, in the first half of this season there was a notable drop off - Martinez had three league goals while Asseyi scored only once in a 4-1 defeat to Brighton. Defence was also an issue, and it remains one as West Ham have conceded 30 goals this term, five more than the next most in the WSL.

“Their big strength last season was their home form. The Hammers only lost three times in the league at the Chigwell Construction Stadium last term, securing their highest points total in a WSL season. Those three losses came against Chelsea, Arsenal and Aston Villa, their first three home matches of this season. The Hammers once again lost all three and dire away form over both seasons cost the east London club. When they played more winnable games at home, they were punished for not converting their superiority, conceding late equalisers against Leicester City and Liverpool.”

A big win against Leicester City last time out, how much of a confidence boost can that be for the Hammers moving forward?

Tom: “Given the Hammers only won once away from home in the WSL the entirety of last season, victory at the King Power Stadium was a huge boost. The win kept them in touch with Leicester City putting them just a point behind their opponents when defeat would have seen them fall seven behind. The result ensured the Irons evaded the bottom of the table and were not leapfrogged by Liverpool, despite the Reds victory last weekend.

“West Ham were comfortably beaten in the corresponding fixture 4-2 last term so this result felt like clear progress in comparison. Both goals, one a free kick from Austrian wing back Verena Hanshaw and the other from German international Shakeira Martinez, were exceptional flashes of individual brilliance. The Hammers rode their luck in the closing moments but dug in, with goalkeeper Kinga Szemik particularly impressive. The Polish keeper's commitment to the cause is unquestionable incurring actual whiplash with an excellent save in the final action of the match to secure all three points.

“West Ham head coach Rita Guarino said on Thursday that she has felt more energy and confidence in the group since victory on the weekend. Whether the Irons will be able to convert that into a result in the derby remains to be seen.”

We’ve already seen some strong additions from West Ham this January - who are the ones to look out for this weekend?

Tom: “West Ham have signed a couple of big names this window, none more so than Lioness Katie Zelem. After struggling for minutes at London City Lionesses at the start of the season, Zelem opted for a move across London to West Ham on loan. She will reunite with Rita Guarino with whom she won a Serie A title at Juventus with.

“Estelle Cascarino, twin sister of Delphine Cascarino, has also signed for the Irons. The defender's short time at the East London club has already got tongues wagging after she was unable to come off the bench to make her debut against Chelsea as she could not remove her earring.

“Tuva Hansen, another key signing from German champions Bayern Munich, is one of the most infectious personalities in women’s football. Her father Hugo Hansen played 13 times for Norway while sister Hega featured 14 times for her nation. The last of Hege's caps was the same match as the first of Tuva's. Tuva now closes in on 60 caps for Norway this year. Hansen is a serial winner and has won the league title at every club she has played for since 2021.

“West Ham needed reinforcement after losing several key names this window. Recent England international Anouk Denton signed for Bay FC while Belgium defender Amber Tysiak also left for Union Berlin. In addition, fan favourite Manuela Paví has joined Deportivo Toluca.”

Which other players should we keep an eye on?

Tom: “Most West Ham fans will agree that Riko Ueki has been the club’s best player this season. The Japanese forward does a lot of the unfashionable work up front, dropping deep to link up attack and defence and is an effective weapon on the counter.

“For the past couple of seasons, the double pivot of Katrina Gorry and Oona Siren have shone and formed a real partnership. They work tirelessly and form a solid base for West Ham to build from. Leila Wandeler, who signed for the Hammers in the summer, had an excellent UEFA EURO 2025 for her home nation with a number of impressive cameos from the bench. Wandeler was less trusted by Skinner but started last weekend’s victory over Leicester City, she has lightning pace, a keen eye for a pass and is still only 19 years old.”

Rita Guarino was appointed as manager last month, what will she bring to this West Ham side and the WSL?

Tom: “Guarino began coaching Italian youth side before enjoying tremendous success as head coach of Juventus winning four league titles; a less impressive spell at Inter Milan followed. Guarino is a tactical genius and even wrote and published a book on women’s football tactics almost a decade ago. She is far from the stereotypical Italian tactician, favouring a build from the back, passing style of play. Guarino was complimentary about Spurs in her pre-match press conference, saying she will not take the challenge Martin Ho’s charges pose lightly.

“West Ham have scored five goals in three away games since she arrived, perhaps that should not be a surprise as Guarino was a prolific goal scorer in her playing days. The Italian remains her nation's sixth highest women’s international goal scorer and famously found the back of the net in the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup quarter finals against Norway. Guarino also scored in the early iterations of the UEFA Women’s Champions League for Torres Terra Sarda. If you want an excuse to like her as a Spurs fan, in 2004, she found the net against Arsenal in the UEFA Cup quarter final.”

How do you see the game panning out on Sunday?

Tom: “West Ham remain a bit of an unknown quantity under Rita Guarino, the match this weekend will be the Italian's first home match in charge of the club. Guarino will be concerned if West Ham are forced into a change of goalkeeper due to Szemik's injury and they will assess her before Sunday’s match. Guarino has confirmed that Zelem is fit and available to feature this weekend for West Ham for the first time since signing for the club, which is a big boost.

“Spurs come into this match with a point to prove after defeat to Liverpool last weekend. I expect Martin Ho's side to respond and get back on track with a win, but the margins will be small and expect mistakes to be capitalised on. If West Ham can get a foothold in the match and fire up the crowd, the Chigwell Construction Stadium can quickly become a horrible place for a travelling side to play football.”

Two late goals from Everton’s Braiden Graham consigned our Under-21s to defeat at Stevenage on Friday night.

We’d competed well for the bulk of the contest and were unlucky not to be in front when Graham ran through and slotted home one-on-one with Luca Gunter despite loud appeals for offside with 18 minutes remaining.

The same player then clipped the ball over Gunter as his side again sprang forward from deep to complete a 2-0 win for his side. We stayed on the front foot right until the end but ultimately couldn’t find a way through, slipping to our first defeat in the Premier League 2 since a 2-1 home reverse against Southampton at the start of November.

Coach Wayne Burnett was forced to shuffle his pack with a number of players unavailable due to injury, Leon Myrtaj making his league debut at this level from the start with new signing Elisha Sowunmi and Under-16s midfielder Toju Wellspring coming off the bench in the second half.

Both sides had chances to take the lead during the first period but cancelled each other out amidst swirling wind and rain. Luca Furnell-Gill was a real threat getting forward from right-back and set up Reiss Russell-Denny for an early first-time shot, saved by George Pickford, in the opening stages, while Martin Sherif almost managed to wriggle through on goal at the other end but was brought down by retreating defender Pele Arganese-McDermott, the centre-back escaping with a yellow card.

Graham – who scored four times against us at the Lamex Stadium last season – floated a shot just off-target as we approached the half-hour mark while our captain James Rowswell prodded Russell-Denny’s free-kick wide of the near post just prior to the interval.

The weather conditions eased up at the start of the second period but while we were very much in the game, it was the Toffees who enjoyed the better chances, Sherif curling over, Omari Benjamin flashing a dangerous ball across goal that wasn’t converted and Malik Olayiwola coaxing a superb save out of Gunter as space opened up for him to try a shot.

Dante Cassanova went agonisingly close to giving us the lead on 65 minutes, ending his solo run with a deft shot that came back off the far post, Furnell-Gill with a couple of subsequent near misses as we kept the pressure on. In between those attempts, Olayiwola sent another inviting ball across the face of goal – again not converted by anyone in blue – but we were undone on 72 minutes when Benjamin sent a quick pass forward from deep, the offside flag stayed down and Graham ran through to score.

It was a similar build-up for Everton’s killer second goal on 84 minutes, Kingsford Boakye this time with the pass, Benjamin looked offside but didn’t get involved and that allowed Graham to run through and lift the ball over the advancing Gunter. To our credit we didn’t give in, but it just wasn’t to be our night.

Thomas Frank spoke to the media at Hotspur Way on Friday, ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash against Manchester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Here’s what he had to say…

What’s the latest on Micky van de Ven?

Thomas: “Micky is a minor one. He will be touch and go for Sunday. We're hoping. He was on the pitch yesterday, on the pitch today. So, hopeful for that, but it's touch and go.”

Congratulations on getting through to the last 16 of the Champions League. Is the message now to forget about that and full focus on the league?

Thomas: “For me, it's always been full focus on the next game. So, it's full focus on Man City on Sunday. We definitely need to build on some good performances. As I said, not everything has been perfect, but now, as I calculate, the last 10, it's more consistent, it's more, we compete better, we are constantly improving but especially the last three games, it's much more over 90 minutes. I think the three performances there, that's the thing we need to bring into Sunday and going forward.”

In September, you said you don't look at a league table until April - but back then, did you envisage that you'd be around 14th?

Thomas: “No, I didn't. I'm very aware, and I think I said that a few times, I'm very aware that this, you always hope for more. You're always in football, you know, small things, you can turn and you can get a little momentum or sometimes you get more. Sometimes, for whatever reason, you don't get the momentum. Very aware that this season is a season where we are, as always, and we should be for Tottenham, very ambitious, but it is a transitional season, a transitional season where we need to be very ambitious, do as good as we can in every single competition. I definitely expected and hoped and believed that we would be higher. I also think, it's fair to say, some of the margins that we could easily, easily like this, have had six points more, then it’s completely different talk. Unfortunately, we haven't. It is what it is, and we need to keep going.”

It’s deadline day on Monday - you’ve had so many injuries, but because you look to the future as well as the now, is there a possibility that there might not be any new arrivals on Monday?

Thomas: “The club work relentlessly to try to do the best they can to improve the squad, especially Johan, Fabio and Vinai, and of course all the people behind them. I mean it, we can't be too obsessed with short-term fix but not helping on the long-term, because if we don't do that, all the hard work we put in now can be limited for the future. That's not that we want badly short-term success as well. I can promise that the Lewis family is super committed to this project. They want to do everything. I will go against my rule, hopefully only once, that there's no doubt it's clear that the club wanted to sign Semenyo. They did everything. I think that's a clear signal that the Lewis family is very committed. That's a big signing, with finances and all that. So, it's a line, but that's the quality of player we are looking for to improve the squad. If we can't find that, then it's definitely better to take the right decisions. It's not the same that we're just getting quality players going forward, because we all know it's not that easy. I'm sure if we're not, for whatever reason, able to get another player in, or players in, this window, then for the summer, it's a big summer ahead. I'm not in doubt we'll see big improvements there.”

How pleased are you with Dominic Solanke’s fitness, his recovery process, and how sharp and ready is he for this weekend?

Thomas: “It was so nice to have him back, and when he was through on goal it was so nice that you just had that feeling, ‘okay, this is a goal’ and he just proved that. Like always, there's a lot of thought process and analysis behind every decision we try to make in team selection. Of course, it was tough not to bring Dom in again in a very important game, but all signs, all my experience, told me that it's not the right thing to do that. Kolo did very well and then Dom came on and killed the game for us. He's still building, but he's ready to start on Sunday.”

What's the biggest challenge you're facing against a Pep Guardiola side? How different is this current version of Man City?

Thomas: “Pep is the best coach in the world. He proved that many times. I think what he's done over the years is he's extremely innovative. He's always changing and, how can I say, playing around with positions, offensive positions, different types and different positions. From going maybe wide wingers to a little bit more inside, depending on how he plays it, with the Cherki or Foden or Semenyo or Haaland or Reijnders. He's playing around with different offensive positions. I think the City team now, when they're in full flow, I think there's a threat from so many angles that we need to be aware of, but I also see some areas that we hopefully can explore.”

How impressed have you been with Mark Guehi’s progress over the years?

Thomas: “I've seen Guehi all the way from Swansea, where we played him in the Championship. That's a few years. He's been on quite a journey, and he has impressed me in many ways. He's extremely composed in all his defensive actions. That means he's never rushing. To have a calm defender is a good thing, because normally they're in the right position and they clear calmly. On the ball, he takes amazing decisions.”

You spoke about having Dominic Solanke back – how vital is that when you consider that a lot of your goals recently have come from your two centre-halves?

Thomas: “First and foremost, it's extremely positive if you have two defenders scoring that many goals. If then we can add more goals from our offensive players, then we will be in a good place. We have a lot of offensive talent, for example, Wilson and Mathys Tel. I also think we have it in Xavi, who's played quite a lot. He's still only 22. I think all the three of them will score a lot of goals going forward, but of course, they're not as proven goal scorers or as proven goalscorers in the Premier League – although Xavi has scored quite a few goals in the past. So, to miss our main striker, I don't think any team is happy with that for six months. That's been, of course, been a blow, but that's what we need to handle. So, to have Dom back in, not only for his goal-scoring abilities, clearly, you've seen that now in the two Champions League games, but also his hold-up play, his link play, his ability to press and just that presence on the pitch and in the changing room, that's big.”

Do you worry about your team's mentality a little? Champions League is fine - Premier League, you're eight points off the relegation zone, 10 points off the Champions League places. Do your players prefer playing in Europe to playing in the Premier League?

Thomas: “I don't think that. I think it's a bit more complex than that. It's a skill, as an individual player and as a team, to perform every third or fourth day in the Premier League and in Europe, no matter if it's the Conference League, Europa League or the Champions League. When you take it up a notch from the Europa League to the Champions League, it's even more difficult. I think it's fair to say we've seen it over the years with a club that is not as used to it, year in, year out, that it can be tough to do that, because it's the physical load, it's the mental load that they need to be able to produce again and again and again. I think we've seen some good signs of it. I actually think we haven't been that bad after the Champions League games. I think actually we had some good performances after that. If we, let's say, in the Christmas spell there, had got six points more, we wouldn't have the talk we're talking about now. The robustness, physically and mentally, is the biggest thing. That's a learning curve. I don't think you have many players in our squad that have done that - just for two seasons. So, that's a learning.”

A couple of years ago, when City came to Spurs right at the end of the season, Spurs fans were a bit conflicted about who they wanted to win - if Spurs won, they were happy because they were Spurs fans, but if City won, they were happy because they stopped Arsenal winning the title. We're a little bit further out now, but do you think some Spurs fans might have a similar kind of mindset?

Thomas: “I don't know. I know that the Spurs fans will support the team. I understand the conflict, but I'm not in doubt they'll be happy if we perform well, and beating City is important for us. It's all about us. We, the staff, I, the players, we'll do everything we can to put a top performance out there and win.”

Is the 3-4-3 formation something you've been considering for a while, or with the players available, did you want a shape that fits them?

Thomas: “I think it's a combination of... try and get our best players in their best possible positions. With the players available, it suited them quite well, 3-4-3. I knew more or less will do it against Dortmund no matter what, because the way they came, I think that would suit the game plan and everything. We looked good. Then on top of that, with the players’ availability and so on, so then we carried on for the following two games. And it's definitely something that we could consider going forward with, because I think a lot of our players look good in that. Also there's a lot of good bits, especially offensively, 3-4-3 looks good, closer connections that I like.”

You’ve so many long-term injuries now, Brennan Johnson has left - is it fair to say that your squad is weaker than it was when you went into the transfer window?

Thomas: “I think that's fair. I think we lost, I can't remember, six or seven players inside three weeks in January. That's crazy, some of them extremely unlucky, definitely Lucas and Ben with clear contact injuries. I can't remember all of them, but there were definitely too many. So, of course it’s weaker than when we started on the first.”

As a club, how do keep your nerve with the short-term/long-term idea where you can leave yourself so short for the rest of the season?

Thomas: “That's a good question, the best clubs take good, calm, sensible decisions. Also, when it's, how can I say, a little bit windy and not going as well as we wanted to, because I think that's key for what we want to build. It's absolutely key. I also think there is some players that are looking to come back relatively quick-ish in Pedro and Richie, definitely. I think there's two on top of my head. That would help as well.”

As a talisman for the team, what can Dominic Solanke do for the rest of the season?

Thomas: “I’ve always liked Dom, and I've followed him for many years here in England. I think the last season he had at Bournemouth, he was absolutely on fire, 19 goals in the Premier League. Then he was a little bit unlucky. He's normally a super robust player, and then he came to Spurs and he got an ankle injury, and then another one. So, he had a little bit of a disrupted last season, but still scored a decent amount of goals and looked like a threat. He was one of the players, when I stepped in the club, I was like, ‘I'm sure he will score a lot of goals for us,’ and I'm not in doubt. He's got all the qualities, the way you want to play, the principles I have, the goalscorers I normally produce, number nines, he will do the same. I'm not in doubt of that at all. So, it feels a little bit like a new signing, and he will only get better over the next weeks.”

Semenyo – that’s quite a commitment from the owners. How close did it get? What could he have brought to the team? What is the signal from the owners that they're going to give you that sort of money to rebuild this team?

Thomas: “I think the biggest thing, and the question I want to answer is, I think it shows big, big commitment from the Lewis family. The fans and everyone involved should not be in doubt of that. They're really, really committed to this going to be successful. We all want it to be a bit better, but all the processes, all the things are beginning to tick behind the scenes. I'm not in doubt we'll see big benefits of that in the future, not in doubt. I'm not in doubt that we will improve and we'll do better throughout the season. I'm not in doubt we'll take a good step, a massive step forward in the summer as well. They are very, very committed.”

We’ve seen the team up and down this season – how do you make sure that you're not going to have a down performance against City?

Thomas: “I really wish I could say that I'm 100% sure we'll be top, but I have a very good feeling, because you're working with human beings and that's the beauty of it. I'm convinced that we will perform well again on Sunday, because it just looks better and better. We are facing a top team with top players, but we are ready for it.”

Can you understand from the fans' point of view why they feel they need to see more action (in the transfer window), especially this month?

Thomas: “Yes, the fans just want the best for the club, just like I want, the owners, the staff, the players, everyone wants the best for the club. It's also fair to say that the transfer window is not Football Manager, unfortunately, it is not. It would be a lot easier, but also a little bit more boring. We don't have as many good stories to talk about. The last 30 days you couldn't go to work basically because there was nothing to write about or talk about. So, it is very difficult, the transfer market. It's an art, it's a craftsmanship. You need to be very good at it. And then there's always a selling club that wants to sell, there needs to be a club that wants to buy, and there's a player in the middle that also wants to come. That's always the challenge. What I'm happy about is that I think we've already done great business in getting Conor in. I think that's a great deal and a great player that fits everything we want for this club. The commitment… you can say Semenyo, that’s a big step. Again, I'm just repeating myself. I'm not doubting it will be very good going forward.”

How confident are you that when you get to the middle of March, the club are not going to be embroiled in a relegation battle?

Thomas: “Of course I understand that the result has not been good enough, no doubt about that. There's been spells in some of the games where we've been a bit disappointed with, that we’ve addressed, that we're working on. I think the biggest thing we've seen throughout the season is we've seen the players running hard. You can look visually, you can look at the physical numbers, you can look at all that, they're just running hard. A good indicator as well is some of the three second halves where we're behind at half-time, running very, very hard to the end. I think that's the foundation you need to build anything on. So, it's one game at a time and we are ready for City and it's all about that.”

You mentioned Pedro and Richarlison are closest (to returning)... Arsenal on February 22nd - could that be a potential time for them to come back?

Thomas: “That could be a dream scenario, and it just could happen. We will know a little bit more when we get closer - but it's in that bracket.”

Craven Cottage | Sunday 1 March (2pm)

Allocation: 2,701 tickets including 17 wheelchair/personal assistant pairs and 17 ambulant/personal assistant pairs.

Prices: Adult - £30; 65 and over - £25; 18-21 - £25; 17 and under - £20. Restricted view tickets reduced by £2. Please note - if supporters within a group application are successful for a mix of standard/restricted view tickets, seating together cannot be guaranteed, unless there's a safeguarding concern.

Access prices: Adult - £15; 65 and over - £12.50; 18-21 - £12.50; 17 and under - £10. Prices include a free-of-charge personal assistant ticket.

Ticketing Points: 1

All Season Ticket Holders can now apply online by clicking here or by submitting an application form, which can be obtained from the Ticket Office no later than 5pm on Monday 2 February.

In the event that tickets are oversubscribed for this match, they will be allocated in line with the Club's ticketing point scheme.

Ticketing Points: 1

Dane Scarlett has joined Scottish Premiership side Hibernian on loan for the remainder of the 2025/26 campaign.

The striker has been a regular in our matchday squads this season, making five appearances, the latest off the bench in our UEFA Champions League win at Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday evening.

A product of our Academy, Dane made his senior debut for us as a 16-year-old against Ludogorets in the UEFA Europa League in November, 2020 - our youngest player at the time - and scored his first goal for the Club in our 3-0 win over Elfsborg in last season's Europa League-winning campaign.

The 21-year-old, who has also spent time on loan at Portsmouth, Ipswich Town and Oxford United, is now up to 27 appearances for us in all competitions.

Martin Ho spoke to the media at Hotspur Way on Friday afternoon, ahead of our Barclays Women’s Super League trip to West Ham United on Sunday (11.55am UK).

Here are some key points from what he had to say…

On his thought from last week’s performance…

“We were good with the ball, and maybe people will agree or disagree with that, but it's more how we're trying to look and the players' behaviours and attitudes, doing the right things. I think there were spells of that. The part that probably let us down was final third in terms of last action, last movement to go behind the line, we had some big chances in that game and maybe we should have taken some of them, and then the game changes, but we didn't. But overall, we were nowhere near where we needed to be in terms of with the ball and the attacking third, but defensively we were two or three yards off everything. As I said, that result lies with me and it's my job to make sure the players are motivated, they're organised and they're aware of what we need to do. As I said, the beauty of football is you have an opportunity again to do it at the weekend.”

On not underestimating opponents in the WSL…

“There's no game in this league that you can walk into thinking you're going to win. Every league game is now competitive, and you've seen that with some of the upsets that have happened in previous weeks. There are teams taking points off ofone another that maybe people don't expect, but we're in a good place. We're fifth in the league, on 23 points, and we have nine games still to go to grow and we can definitely still add to the tally we have. I think what the players have given me up to now and given this club up to now is something to be proud of. They have given us something to talk about, which is why people are maybe frustrated that we didn't win the game [last week against Liverpool]. I think it speaks volumes of what the players have done.”

On the importance of having consistent games for the second half of the campaign…

“It's good to have a run of games where you play consistently week in, week out and you have your full week to prepare. You have players where you can give them a bit of downtime, a bit of rest, but you can also push through this part of the schedule. So, I think when you've got games coming thick and fast, there's always an objective and an outcome in front of you. We need to make sure that West Ham is the next one and it's definitely got that London derby kind of edge to it. We want to make sure that we go out and perform, we show a better side than what we showed in spells against Liverpool. But we know we must raise our levels physically and in that defensive part of the game, if we want to be better.”

On West Ham and the London derby…

“[A] tough game. These games have a bit more edge. I felt that in the first league game we played this year against them. Two teams that want to defend on the front foot, two teams that want to have the ball, want to be exciting and want to be direct with the play. We've seen their games previously, now under the new coach, and I think she's given them a lot more organisation and stability. They're very well drilled, you can see that, and Rita [Guarino] was very known for that when she was in Italy. It's going to be a tough game, and we have to go there with the intention to win the game, as we always do, but we need to find ways to break down an organised and resilient block.”

On expectations of winning this type of game…

“We have to win every game, and that's not just West Ham. I won't go into any game not wanting to win and not putting a team out to win. We go in to win the games. You also must respect the opposition at the same time, you can't think you're invincible in what you do and when you go away from home, it also adds a different kind of spice to the game. We also know we might have to suffer at times with the ball. I'm really happy where we're at now, if someone were to put me in this position, we'd have taken that and we want to just make sure we can continue to build what we want to do now moving forward. We have to take the right steps in the right moments, and West Ham is the game in the way of us now, and we have to make sure we go into that trying to win the game.”

On what needs to be achieved to close the gap at the top…

“You need consistency, you need very clear foundations and platform, you need experiences. You also need to elevate the squad, enhance the squad, build the squad, and you need different variations of that. You need to understand adversity, you need to understand playing with the ball, playing without the ball and you need so many diverse experiences to be a Champions League team and what definitely gets you there is a consistency and a persistence with your performances. We don't want to be a team that just gets there, then falls out, gets there again and then falls out again. You want to be a team that, like the ones who are up there now, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Man United have started to come into that, you want to be a team that's consistently in and around that but you need to build the foundations on and off the pitch to make sure that you can continually do that. We've got a lot of work to do. We're four or five months in; we've just come from finishing down the bottom of the table and we're now changing the identity and really embarking on a nice project and chaptering Spurs Women's future. It's going to take time for us to build that team that's going to be a winning team, with a winning mentality who can compete on all fronts in all competitions and that takes time.”

On the importance of Bethany England’s leadership…

“It’s really important. In terms of her leadership qualities and her impact on the team, her impressions on the team. She's been remarkable in terms of how she brings the group together, the way she leads the group and how she keeps a really clear balance between challenging the group or bringing them a lot of positivity and a lot of support and you can see by the initiatives in the programme she goes to speak volumes about Bethany as an individual and we need more players to step up in those moments to produce those moments of leadership and management around a team.”

History beckons as we chase another double over Guardiola

@SpursOfficial

Fri 30 January 2026, 16:35| Tottenham Hotspur

After securing a Champions League last 16 spot in midweek, we return to Premier League action looking to build on our continental success up against Manchester City on Sunday (4.30pm UK).

We have already got the better of Pep Guardiola's side this season when first-half goals from Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha's first in our colours saw us take the three points back to north London on our maiden away trip of the campaign.

Following that 2-0 win at the Eithad back in August, we could become the first-ever side to complete the league double over a Guardiola team on two separate occasions having also beaten them home and away in 2021/22 (1-0 & 3-2).

Watch - Son nets winner against City in August, 2021

That season was the ninth time we completed the Premier League double over Man City which is our best such record against an opponent in the division.

Since the Spaniard took charge in 2016/17, the Citizens have lost more Premier League games against us (eight) than they have against any other opponent and against no other side has Guardiola himself suffered more defeats (10) in all competitions across his entire managerial career.

Whilst we have proven a thorn in City's side in recent years, winning four consecutive league games in N17 between 2019/20 and 2022/23, we have lost in each of the last two seasons at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and head into this weekend's fixture still searching for a home league victory in 2026 (D1, L1) - winning just two of our 11 overall (D3, L6).

Here are some other headline stats, courtesy of Opta, ahead of Sunday's big encounter...

We have scored more headed goals (10) and had more goals scored via defenders (nine) than any other side in the Premier League this season.

Man City have won just four of their last 13 Premier League games against us (D2, L7), failing to score in six of those seven defeats.

City have failed to score in each of their last two away Premier League games (0-0 vs Sunderland, 2-0 vs Man Utd), last failing to find the back of the net in three successive matches on the road back in December, 2015.

All four of Cristian Romero's league goals this season have made the scores level, with no player netting more equalisers than our captain this term.

Erling Haaland has either scored (three) or assisted (one) each of Man City's last four Premier League goals against us.

The Citizens have lost just one of their last 16 Premier League games in London (W11, D4), winning five of their last six (D1) since a 5-1 defeat at Arsenal in February last year.

Man City faced as many shots as they had themselves last time out against Wolves (11 each), the seventh time this season they’d either had fewer or as many attempts as their opponents in a Premier League game, the joint most in a season under Guardiola. They are only averaging 4.7 more shots per game than their opponents this season, their smallest difference in a season under the Spaniard.

Man City have won their last two away league games against Spurs, last winning three in a row between February 1973 and August 1974.

Martin Ho says that the squad that travelled to Liverpool last weekend will once again be available for Sunday’s trip to West Ham United on Sunday (11.55am UK).

Having been sidelined with injury since late November, Cathinka Tandberg and Olga Ahtinen both made a return on Merseyside in our last outing in the league, coming on as late second half substitutes.

With another full training week under their belts, our Head Coach confirmed that the squad that travelled to Liverpool is available once again for this weekend.

"We are the same as last week,” he told the media in his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. “Everyone is in contention and available."

However, Charlotte Grant remains sidelined for the clash in east London but the defender has since returned to running and is making ‘good progress’ in her recovery.

While we remain without our long-term absentees – Luana Buhler, Ella Morris, Maite Oroz and Jess Naz – Martin also gave a positive on the latter two in their rehabilitation from an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL).

“Charli is back on the grass and running and she's making good progress, so she's not too far away,” he added.

“Ella is very close to being back in full team training so we're in a good place. Maite and Jess are making good progress; Jess has actually made a lot of progress in her rehabilitation from an ACL and Maite doing the same.”