Exclusive: Tottenham star Bethany England on 'the hardest six months' after Chelsea transfer, changing the culture at improving Spurs and why she cherishes the Lionesses' World Cup final run more than Euro 2022 triumph

Not that it was immediately easy for England when she made that switch from Chelsea to Tottenham – quite the opposite. “I really struggled at first, if I'm honest,” she admits. “I went from the champions to a team that was facing relegation and that was a difficult, difficult place. It's probably the hardest six months because I joined at Christmas and I knew the pressure that was on me to be able to help deliver the goals to help them stay afloat.”

Those contrasting circumstances also meant there was more than just a psychological adaptation for England to make. In that 2023-24 season, her shots per 90 minutes were halved after swapping Chelsea for Spurs, representing the decrease in service that she would also have to contend with. “I realised quickly how a lot of it was going to be running rather than running with the ball,” she recalls.

“You do have to appreciate there's times where you're going to suffer a lot more without the ball in games and you do have to work on yourself individually because, when I was at Chelsea, you could potentially get five to 10 opportunities a game and you know one of them will go in. At Spurs, you might get one chance, and if you don't take it, that's all you've got.”

Fortunately, in England, Tottenham had signed a player with a ruthless streak that allowed her to thrive despite those obstacles. After scoring on her club debut, England never let up, netting 12 goals in 12 league games to propel Spurs to safety. That her dozen came from an expected goals total of 5.3 says everything about how clinical she was in those six months.

“I think what helped me in my first season was that even though chances were few and far between, I was making those chances count. I feel like since I've come here, I've been able to make more chances count, with less opportunities, if that makes sense,” England says. “Usually, I'm quite humble about what I've done or achieved but I know I'm a fantastic goal-scorer and, given the chance, I will continue to score goals.”

That clinical touch puts her second in the WSL’s all-time top-scorer charts, only behind Vivianne Miedema but with Khadija Shaw creeping up behind her at quite the pace. “I've been chasing Miedema's record and every time I seem to get that one closer, she pops up and scores another one,” England laughs. “I'm aware that I've got Bunny on my tail. If she's bagging four goals every game, then she's probably going to be hitting that 100 record sooner than most of us.”

Given the 31-year-old has brought up that goal-scoring race naturally, it’s clear that the competition from her peers is something that spurs her on. “Definitely,” she confirms. “I want to be in and amongst the best. I've been chasing this record for a while. Bunny is just a phenomenal striker and in a team like Man City, she's going to get ample chances, but she's putting away almost every single one of those chances. It's one of them where if my name can be up there amongst the greats, amazing, but I just want to keep pushing myself.”

It was with that relentless goal-scoring that, despite intense competition for places, England kept herself in the Lionesses' picture at one of the most pivotal times in the history of the national team. Part of the squad that won the 2022 European Championship and included again for the run to the 2023 Women’s World Cup, she has more than played her part in helping the women’s game hit new heights in England. “It's definitely something I'm proud of,” she notes.

It might surprise some to hear that it is the World Cup, rather than the triumphant home Euros, that England cherishes more, but perhaps not when one considers that she didn’t get on the pitch during the latter. “I played. I was able to do my part. I had my penalty against Nigeria and I truly felt like I was able to help the team,” she says of the World Cup. “It took me a long, long time to feel like I deserved recognition for the Euros, the same as the other girls that actually got to be on the pitch, because in my head it was like, 'If I'm not on the pitch, I'm not helping'. But I still showed up every day, helped train the starting 11 and the subs.”

England isn’t in the Lionesses picture right now, with the World Cup her most recent call-up. Hip surgery after the tournament would rule her out for five months and regaining her place has proven tough, even if her goal-scoring has continued. However, the experiences she has accumulated at international level and the winning environment she has been exposed to, in addition to her time at Chelsea, only adds to her credentials as a player who can help change the culture at Tottenham.

“My mindset has never shifted in how I approach games,” England explains. “I've always had that winning mentality and never give up attitude. I think it's trying to change the club and other people around, just their perspectives on what it is they can achieve.

“I definitely had to learn to move the goalposts a bit on what is actually realistic, on where we're at right now and where we want to be. But I think anyone who has followed Tottenham over the last few years will definitely see the change, not just in style and play, but mentality. Obviously, there's a lot of factors involved in this, I'm just a piece in the puzzle, but I'm very proud to represent Tottenham and how we've been able to grow over the years.”

A top-half finish in the 2023-24 season and a run to the FA Cup final, under Robert Vilahamn, was a huge step in the right direction, bringing about what England calls a "cultural shift" in the team. “We were able to achieve great things and I think that probably changed everyone else's mindset and perspective as well of, 'We can do. It is possible'," she says. "I think the start of when Robert came in was when we really started to see a Tottenham side that was able to start progressing from there on.”

Things wouldn’t pan out so well in Vilahamn’s second year, with the Swede dismissed at the end of a 2024-25 season that saw Spurs finish a disappointing 11th in the WSL table. However, new head coach Martin Ho has picked up the baton and shown he can further progress this project, with Tottenham fifth in the standings at the league’s winter break.

“He's brought a lot of intensity,” England notes. “He's got a style of play which suits our players quite well. We're probably fitter than we've ever been. We're moving a lot more freely and just playing much better football and actually finding that belief within yourself to be able to do the job that is asked.”

And while the 31-year-old downplays her role in the success to date, she has had a big one. Appointed captain ahead of her first full season in north London, she has taken to the armband well, despite never seeing herself as a captain. “It wasn't something that I thought I would ever be, or be good at,” she admits.

But she has a lot of the qualities that make her a perfect fit, such as her humility, her ability to lead by example on and off the pitch, the respect she gives and also commands, and the ease with which she handles pressure. “I really enjoy almost carrying the weight on my shoulders and making sure the team's doing everything that they need to be doing.”

While the WSL might have hit its winter break, there is still one more opportunity in 2025 for England and Spurs to show that they are back on the right track after the disappointments of last season. On Sunday, Tottenham will travel to Man Utd for the second time in seven days, hoping for a win that would put them into the League Cup semi-finals for just the second time in team history.

When making the same trip last Sunday, Spurs looked nailed on for a win in the first instalment of this double-header, holding a 3-0 lead over the Red Devils with just 17 minutes remaining. However, a late rally from their hosts meant the north London side had to make the long journey home with just a point, after an incredible 3-3 draw.

It would be easy to be dispirited off the back of that, but England is keen to make sure her side take the positives into this rematch. After all, it was yet another great result against a top team, after a draw with Arsenal in November and a very closely-contested 1-0 defeat to Chelsea prior to that, and an indication that Tottenham have what it takes to trouble the elite, especially in a cup competition.

“There's no reason why we shouldn't feel confident or positive going into the game,” England says, bullishly. “We appreciate and respect the opponent, knowing that they're a strong team, but I think we're showing teams that we're a team that plays good football and we're not going to lay down and be scared of anyone. I think we definitely took [United] by surprise. I know there was a lot of chatter before the game, especially from their camp, around how they spoke about our players and what they felt we were going to do, and I think we definitely surprised them and I feel like they certainly underestimated us.

“[The result is] disappointing, there's plenty to work on, but there's also a lot of positives that we can take going into the next one and hopefully, if we can fix our errors, we can definitely cause another upset this weekend.”

Having spent a large part of her career in teams that were heavy favourites, England appears to be relishing the opportunity to upset the apple cart now instead. “I think it's a dangerous place when you bet against the underdog, when you know that they can actually hurt you,” she adds. “It was a very proud day getting Spurs to an FA Cup Final and I'd love nothing more than to continue that and help them get to a League Cup final and hopefully bring home some silverware for the women's team.”

And with England leading the line, Spurs will always have a chance of doing something special.