View: Tottenham Women will need to find a new goal threat after Beth England is sidelined
Robert Vilahamn has been dealt a severe blow, as the brand-new Tottenham Women manager will now be forced to begin his reign without his star striker.
Bethany England has scored 13 goals in 13 appearances in the Women’s Super League since arriving at Tottenham from Chelsea in January in a big-money switch.
However, fresh off of representing the Lionesses at the World Cup, the club have confirmed via their official website (6 September) that the 29-year-old has undergone “a minor surgical procedure on her hip” and is set to be out for an undisclosed period of time. While Spurs’ use of the word “minor” might reassure some fans, England’s post to Twitter (6 September) will not.
Within her post, England describes that she will be “sidelined for a while”, which implies the injury is more than just a “minor” operation. In addition to this, she also described that the surgery was designed to fix an issue she had been experiencing for “a few months.”
This might frustrate some fans, as it clearly means she headed Down Under with full knowledge of her injury and put herself at risk of further harm, which would have increased the length of her spell on the sidelines. However, it is hard to blame England, as the opportunity to play at a World Cup is a dream very few get to realise.
Therefore, if she had the opportunity, she was of course going to take it. Nonetheless, it now means that Vilahamn will need to find a new way to shape his attack without the out-and-out goal scorer.
Grace Clinton, who is on loan from Manchester United, Ellie Brazil, who spent a large chunk of last season out injured, and Morrocan star Rosella Ayane will now become the club’s primary goal threats in the absence of England.
The timing of the injury announcement is strange, as it came just one day after the club revealed via Twitter (5 September) that Polish striker Nikola Karczewska has joined Frauen-Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen on loan for the 2023/24 season. Karczewska would have been an ideal replacement for England, and this is now of course not possible.
There is plenty for Vilahamn to think about with the WSL season and Spurs’ trip to last season’s champions Chelsea just a matter of weeks away now.
In other Tottenham news, a youngster for the men’s team is continuing to make an impact internationally.