Credit: Imago

Cameron Smith

Sat 28 March 2026 12:40, UK

Martin Ho has labelled Tottenham Hotspur Women as a “sleeping giant” after committing his future to the club with a new deal.

The 35-year-old has made a strong early impression in North London, guiding the Lilywhites to fifth place in the Women’s Super League, while briefly challenging the traditional top four for large parts of the campaign.

The announcement of his new long-term deal came on Friday, with Spurs preparing to take on rivals Arsenal.

Tottenham have shown clear signs of progress this season, with a big improvement on last year’s 11th-place finish, alongside an upcoming FA Cup quarter-final clash with Chelsea.

Though back-to-back defeats since the return from the month-long pause have highlighted that there is still a way to go regarding matching the consistency of the division’s top sides – a gap Ho will look to make smaller moving forward.

Martin Ho reacts to new Tottenham Women contract

The former Manchester United Women assistant knows exactly what it means to work with one of the WSL’s top sides, and believes that there is a real long-term project underway at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Reacting to his new deal, he told Sky Sports: “Three or four weeks ago, Andy [Rogers] dropped me a message and said ‘can we catch up in the morning?’ and naturally, when the managing director sends you that, you’re thinking ‘what’s going on here?'”

“But he’d had meetings with the leadership team and the board and they were really pleased with what we’re doing and the direction we’re going in.

“They wanted to make sure I’m here for the longer term to work on this project and take it forward. They felt I was the person that could help them achieve what they want to achieve, which is nice to hear as a coach.”

Joining the club from Norwegian outfit Brann, Ho has overseen a huge uptick in form since taking over at Spurs, with the club battling at the top end of the division – though the gap does remain to the top sides.

“I feel we actually have a lot going for us here and we’re maybe a bit of a sleeping giant in women’s football,” said Ho. “It just needs that little bit of direction and polishing and we can really take big steps.

“That’s a credit to everyone that’s been before me that has enabled this club to be where it is, and I have a lot of respect for them.

“I’m really thankful to the ownership, the leadership that believe in me and have given me this opportunity. I want to make sure I can repay that faith by giving them some silverware.”

Heading into the season’s final stretch, Ho’s side take on Arsenal in the North London derby on Saturday evening, before they prepare for a big FA Cup quarter-final against Chelsea.

Consistency key as Tottenham look to close gap on WSL elute

Sitting in a gap between the top four and the chasing pack, Spurs’ current standing in the WSL reflects both their progress as a side, and the gap to the league’s elite that remains in place.

In spells this term, they have proven capable of competing with the top four, but maintaining the level of consistency over the course of a full term has proven much more challenging.

Though the nine-point gap to Everton behind deserves its praise, especially given the improvement from last season.

Sitting as the current best of the rest, Tottenham are well-placed to continue progressing heading into next term, where finding more consistency will prove crucial if Ho is to continue the project of chasing the league’s elite.

The Lilywhites have two big tests looming, with both the North London derby and an FA Cup quarter-final against not just two of their neighbours but also two sides they are looking to emulate at the top end of the game.