Kirsty Hanson’s name did not dominate the transfer headlines this summer. It should have.
While the Women's Super League has welcomed a wave of overseas stars, Tottenham may have pulled off one of the shrewdest moves of the window by prising last season’s third-highest scorer away from Aston Villa. No fanfare, no big reveal. Just a ruthless piece of business.
Hanson arrives in north London at 28, right in her prime, on the back of a campaign that finally forced everyone to take notice. Twelve goals in 22 league games for a side that finished ninth is not padding stats in a dominant team; it is carrying one. Only Khadija Shaw and Alessia Russo found the net more often in the WSL. That is the level we are talking about.
From rebuilding at Villa to a new peak at Spurs
This version of Hanson did not appear overnight. Her year of explosive numbers at Villa sat on top of a slower, more fragile rebuild.
Before that, she had helped Manchester United establish themselves as a professional force in the women’s game, then saw her minutes shrink and her confidence with it. By the time Villa brought her in on loan in 2022, she needed a reset as much as a new club.
She found it in the Midlands. One hundred appearances, 26 goals, two player-of-the-season awards. Villa gave her a platform and, crucially, belief.
"I've got to thank Villa so much. They know that I left on good terms. I really enjoyed my time," she told BBC Sport. "Everyone there helped me boost my confidence again. Hopefully, I can just build on that now, but I'm not putting pressure on myself."
Leaving that environment was never going to be easy. But ambition has its own pull.
"It was obviously a very tough decision to leave Villa but just looking at Spurs, you could see their ambition and each season they have been improving," she said.
The key factor? The man in the dugout.
"When they appointed Martin [Ho] as manager, I think that was a big statement because he is one of the best coaches I've worked with."
Reunited with a coach who knows her best
Hanson knows exactly what she is walking into with Martin Ho. The pair worked together at Manchester United between 2020 and 2023, when he was assistant coach and she was still trying to establish herself at the very top level.
This time, there is no doubt about her role. Ho made her a priority signing, and the club backed him, paying an undisclosed fee to land a forward he believes can elevate Spurs’ attack.
"I know he gets the best out of me with the detail he puts in. I really think that will push me further on in my career," Hanson said.
That detail is already biting. Pre-season has not been gentle.
"Training's been really tough. It was probably one of the toughest pre-seasons I've done so far. Martin is challenging us, trying to push us to our limits.
"That's what I really wanted, because I needed a challenge. I don't just want to be signed because they think I'm good, I want them to improve me."
This is not a player arriving to coast on last year’s numbers. It is someone who sees her peak as still ahead of her.
A ruthless edge in front of goal
Tottenham are not just getting a willing runner with a good attitude. They are getting one of the most efficient attacking weapons in the league.
Last season, Hanson scored 43% of Villa’s total WSL goals. Almost half of everything they produced. Among the top five scorers in the division, she had the best shots-on-target ratio at 50%. When she pulled the trigger, it mattered.
She did far more than finish moves. Only two Villa players created more chances than her 16, and no one in that side had more touches in the opposition box. She was the outlet, the link, the threat. The player opponents had to track and still struggled to stop.
Her off-the-ball work matched that attacking output. Hanson ranked among the leading performers in her position for defensive actions such as tackles and interceptions. She pressed, she chased, she recovered. For a coach like Ho, who demands intensity, that blend is priceless.
Spurs’ ambition, and the fight for places
Tottenham’s fifth-place finish last season hinted at progress. This summer’s recruitment screams intent.
Hanson joins West Ham’s top scorer Shekiera Martinez, France defender Alice Sombath from Lyon, and creative midfielder Victoria Pelova from Arsenal in a squad that suddenly looks built to trouble the established elite. The target is clear: break into the top three, reach the Women's Champions League, and stop talking about potential and start talking about results.
That ambition comes with a cost: nobody’s place is safe.
"It's going to be tough. I'm not expecting anything. My main aim is just to be better because I've got so many levels to go to. Martin knows that as well," Hanson said.
"I'm definitely comfortable [in the WSL] now but I still don't see myself as one of the best. I'm very critical of myself."
She welcomes the competition, not just for what she can gain, but for what she can give.
"I knew the level of players that were here. I'm just so excited to learn from them. I'm also here to help others, because that's what I've done at every club.
"I might not be the most talented but I've got a lot of fight and hunger in me. I literally run through a brick wall for my team. Hopefully I've showed them that."
That mentality is not a throwaway line. It is backed by the way she plays and the way she talks about her development off the pitch.
The Scotland international has a degree in sports coaching and speaks like someone who sees the game in layers, not just moments.
"I know what to do at different points in the game. I know how to calm players down," she explained. "Previously when I worked with Martin, I was younger and I wouldn't have been able to cope with that as much. But now I've definitely matured a lot."
A quiet signing with loud potential
Tottenham open their WSL campaign at home to West Ham on 6 September. By then, the bigger-name arrivals across the league will have soaked up plenty of attention. That suits Hanson just fine.
She has already proved she can thrive without the spotlight, scoring the goals that kept Villa afloat while others grabbed the headlines. Now she walks into a side that wants to crash the top three and a manager who knows exactly how to squeeze every drop out of her game.
If Spurs do make that leap into Champions League territory, no one will be calling this move understated anymore. They will be asking how a transfer this smart ever flew under the radar in the first place.
