Spurs Men Need to Find Their Beth England

Bethany England joined Tottenham Hotspur Women from Chelsea on 3rd January, 2023 for a then tranfer record fee of £250,000. At that point, her new club were perilously close to the drop. She scored on debut against Aston Villa 11 days later, but couldn't stop the rot, as the team went on to suffer a fifth successive defeat. 

Things did eventually turn a corner. England scored 12 goals in 12 appearances, saving her new side from relegation. That includes the goal against Leicester City that mathematically confirmed safety. England's off-field presence was just as important as her goals on the pitch. 

After a derby day disaster, the men are in a similar position to where the women were when England joined. They are looking over the precipice. Just four points separate them from the relegation zone. Who is going to be the England-esque hero for new boss Igor Tudor? It's hard to see. 

When I interviewed England for The Daily Star, she acknowledged her status in the Women's side. "I'm the captain, and I'm, I guess, the face of it, at the forefront of it," she said. As for the men? No Kane. No Son.  Spurs have no superstar.

People will likely point to World Cup-winning skipper Christian Romero. That might be right, when he is actually on the pitch. Missing seven league games due to suspension is letting everyone down. There did not seem to be evidence of him at the team dinner Tudor put together last week either.

Spurs Men Have no Superstar

The manager was new yesterday. The crowd was up, ready to back him and the team. None of it made a difference. This injury ravaged-side have no x-factor. Maybe it would have been Maddison. Or Kuluveski. It might yet be Xavi Simons, who is slowly growing into the Premier League. But at the moment there is nothing.

I don't think a second-half collapse against Arsenal, as painful as is it was, will be what decides whether or not Spurs go down. Even though everyone was desperate to disrupt the Gunner's title charge, the game was something of a free hit. Any point was a bonus, mathematically and psychologically. However, there are no more of those. And it is hard to see who is going to step up and drag Tottenham to safety.

There is no Bethany England in that group. And it shows.