Tottenham Women Are Building Something Real — But Can They Actually Break Into the WSL Top Three?

Tottenham Women are not messing around this summer. A record-breaking signing, five further additions, and a clear plan under Martin Ho — this is a club that means business in women's football.

The question is whether ambition and smart recruitment can actually translate into a WSL top-three finish, or whether Spurs are still a season or two away from seriously threatening the established order.

From Relegation Scraps to Record Signings

Not long ago, Tottenham Women were fighting to stay in the WSL. They've come a long way since then. A fifth-place finish last season showed real progress, and now the club is investing like a side with its eyes firmly on Europe.

The headline move is Alice Sombath, a France international defender arriving from Lyon in what is a club-record deal for the women's side. Pair that with the January signing of Signe Gaupset, and you can see a pattern forming — Spurs are targeting young European talent with genuine pedigree.

But it's not just about the headline names. Shekiera Martinez and Kirsty Hanson add WSL-proven goals to the attack. Victoria Pelova brings midfield quality and experience at the highest level of women's football. Caitlin Dijkstra and Selma Panengstuen shore things up at the back and between the posts. This is a proper squad-building job, not a scattergun approach.

What stands out is the timing. Every deal was wrapped up early, giving Ho a full pre-season with his complete squad. That kind of preparation matters, and it tells you this is a club with a real plan.

The WSL Top Three Is a Brutal Ask

Here's the reality check. Women's football in England has a serious glass ceiling problem for clubs outside the established elite. Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United have dominated the top spots, and they're not standing still.

Only the top three qualify for the Women's Champions League, and that prize is what Tottenham are ultimately chasing. But reaching it means overtaking at least one of the four biggest clubs in the league — clubs with deeper resources, bigger fanbases and years of continental experience.

London City Lionesses and Brighton are also spending heavily with the same dream in mind. The WSL is becoming genuinely competitive in that fourth-to-sixth band, which makes progress harder to measure season by season.

For women's football betting purposes, Spurs finishing in the top four would represent a significant step forward and is worth tracking as an outright market. A top-three finish feels like a stretch for this campaign, but top five at shorter odds is a real possibility worth considering as the season approaches.

The Fanbase Gap Is Real Too

An average attendance of 1,734 last season tells its own story. For a club with a stadium that can hold tens of thousands and a men's team with a massive global following, the women's side is still a relatively small operation in terms of supporters.

That matters for the long-term picture. Revenue, atmosphere, profile — it all feeds into the club's ability to compete at the top end. Spurs know this, and building the fanbase is clearly part of the wider strategy rather than just a nice-to-have.

The wider boardroom shift at the club, with new leadership arriving following Daniel Levy's departure and Vinai Venkatesham coming in as CEO, gives reasons to believe investment in the women's side will continue. Venkatesham was central to Arsenal Women's success and arrives with a clear understanding of how to grow a women's programme.

Our Take on Where Spurs Women Finish This Season

We think Tottenham Women are in a really interesting position for this WSL campaign. The recruitment is the best we've seen from them, the manager has shown he can develop players, and the club structure looks more stable than it has in years.

Our prediction is a top-four finish, probably fighting with Brighton and London City for that spot. The top three feels a step too far this season — Chelsea, Arsenal and City are simply too strong — but Spurs are well placed to push hard and make European football a realistic target for 2027.

In women's football terms, this is a squad that could cause some genuine upsets. Back them in the outright WSL markets to finish in the top four rather than top three, and watch closely how their early-season form develops as a guide to where the ceiling actually is this year.