Tottenham Hotspur have wasted no time in the summer transfer window after a strong 2025/26 season under Martin Ho. After securing a record points haul and a fifth-place finish, Martin Ho and the Spurs hierarchy have shown no signs of resting on their laurels heading into the summer transfer window.
Four summer additions so far include Shekeira Martinez, Victoria Pelova, Caitlin Dijkstra and perhaps the most eye-catching of all, Kirsty Hanson. The Scot, who has played over 230 games in her career is arguably just what Tottenham have been missing – a goalscoring winger.
Granted, Jess Naz missed most of the season through injury and Matilda Vinberg managed just two goals, so from the outside at least, attack looked like the area Spurs needed to reinforce. They have done exactly that – and then some.
Twelve league goals in the season just gone saw Hanson finish third in the division’s top scorer charts, behind only Alessia Russo and Bunny Shaw. Even more impressive was the fact it marked Hanson’s highest-scoring individual season since 2017/18, when she also found the net 12 times (11 in the league and one in the cup) for Championship side Doncaster Rovers Belles.
Hanson played a key role in Doncaster Rovers Belles’ Championship title-winning side before returning to the newly formed Manchester United Women. She was one of seven players to rejoin the club after previously leaving its academy due to the absence of a senior women’s pathway at the Red Devils. Four seasons in Manchester followed, spanning both the Women’s Championship and the WSL. During that time, Hanson scored 16 goals in 90 appearances for Manchester United, helping the club secure promotion to the top flight in the 2018/19 season. At United, she also worked under Martin Ho, who served as assistant coach to Marc Skinner.
The 2022/23 season brought a change of scenery for the 28-year-old, who joined Aston Villa on loan. That temporary move proved the start of a successful spell in the Midlands, with Hanson making the switch permanent and going on to bring up exactly 100 appearances for the club across one loan campaign and three full seasons. It was at Villa where Hanson’s quality truly flourished under Carla Ward, Robert de Pauw and Natalia Arroyo, becoming an integral part of each manager’s plans.
Her guile, pace and technical ability had Villa fans marvelling at her performances, particularly during the 2025/26 campaign. Not only did Hanson register the most prolific goalscoring season of her career, but she also claimed the WSL Goal of the Month award in October 2025 for her sumptuous strike against West Ham.
Picking up the ball from a Lynn Wilms corner, Hanson glided past her marker before, from the top right-hand corner of the penalty area, curling a sublime effort into the far corner. The West Ham goalkeeper was left rooted to the spot as Hanson wheeled away in celebration, a moment that perfectly encapsulated the quality she possesses.
Speaking to the club’s official website after completing her move, Hanson highlighted the influence Martin Ho had on her decision, saying:
“He’s an unreal coach, an unreal manager now, and I loved working with him previously.”
“His sessions were just to such a high-standard and really brought the best out of me. So, when he obviously got in contact with me about being the one to sign me, I was like, ‘wow’. I think I just got so excited.”
On the international stage, Hanson represented Scotland at both U17 and U19 level, memorably scoring her country’s only goal at the 2017 UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship in a 1–1 draw against hosts Northern Ireland.
Her performances earned her a first senior call-up in November 2019 following the withdrawal of Martha Thomas through injury, before making her debut in a 5–0 UEFA Women’s Euro 2021 qualifying victory over Albania on 8 November, where she was named Player of the Match. Hanson scored her first senior international goal just a few months later in a 10–0 UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 qualifying win against Cyprus and has since gone on to establish herself as a regular in the Scotland squad.
As she embarks on the next step of her career under familiar guidance, Spurs have secured themselves a real gem. If they can unlock the same Hanson who lit up Villa Park last season and scored both home and away against Tottenham, they could be in for a stellar campaign.
