A number of stars from overseas have joined the Women's Super League this summer - but one move that has gone slightly under the radar could be more important than them all. Scotland striker Kirsty Hanson has swapped Aston Villa for Tottenham and it could easily turn out to be one of the deals of this transfer window. The 28-year-old was the third-highest goalscorer in the WSL last season despite her side languishing ninth in the table.
With 12 goals in 22 matches, only PFA player of the year Khadija Shaw and England striker Alessia Russo scored more than her. So why did Hanson make the move and how does she intend to take ambitious Tottenham - who start their WSL season on 6 September at home to West Ham - to another level this season? How Tottenham's transfer window shows big WSL ambitions Find interviews and extra content on the BBC Women's Football Weekly feed Fernandes and Shaw win PFA player of the year awards It's true to say that Hanson's career really burst into life last season, but she had been steadily progressing throughout her successful four-year spell at Aston Villa.
Prior to that, she played a key role in Manchester United's development as a professional women's team before then struggling for regular game time. When Villa brought her in initially on loan in 2022, Hanson was low on confidence and needed a boost. With 26 goals in 100 appearances for Villa and two player-of-the-season awards, it's fair to say that happened.
"I've got to thank Villa so much. They know that I left on good terms. I really enjoyed my time," Hanson 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. "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.
"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." Hanson worked with Ho during his time as assistant coach at United between 2020 and 2023. He made Hanson a key target in this transfer window, and the club backed him by buying the striker for an undisclosed fee. "I know he gets the best out of me with the detail he puts in.
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