Despite this past weekend’s 4-2 loss at London City Lionesses this past weekend, this season has been a vast improvement for Tottenham Hotspur Women. Spurs are currently fifth in the table, level on points
with Arsenal with 15, a tally that is only five points less than their entire point total from last season after just eight games. New head coach Martin Ho has implemented an exciting and attack-forward style that Spurs’ players have adapted to, despite making only two summer signings in striker Tinka Tandberg and defender Toko Koga.
But get ready for an exciting new player in January. Reports out of Norway say that Tottenham Women have an “deal in principle” to sign 20-year-old Norway international and attacking midfielder Signe Gaupset from NK Brann when the transfer window opens in January.
The initial report comes from Nettavisen, who state Gaupset will join Spurs for a Norwegian league record 5m krone (£378k), and the move would reunite her with Ho, who managed her at Brann. Gaupset just extended her contract at Brann last season, but this bid would represent real money for a women’s team from a small league. The previous record was 2m krone for Julie Blakstad, now at Manchester City.
Norwegian media outlet TV 2 reports that full agreement has been reached, with only the medical remaining; the deal will go through when the English transfer window opens in January. Gaupset has also spoken about the move, suggesting she chose Spurs as the best option for her development.
“If it goes through, that’s really cool, of course. It sounds cool.
“We decided [Tottenham] would be a great next step. Playing time is the most important thing. When you go to one of the biggest clubs, competition is tougher. There are pros and cons to everything. But joining a club where I’ll get to play and develop is what matters most.”
TV 2 also reported that Brann received large bids from numerous clubs, including powerhouses Lyon, Barcelona, and Real Madrid. The choice, ultimately, came down to Gaupset, and she chose Spurs.
“There’s been so much to take in and so much new information. So many clubs have been interested. I’ve been able to compare them and figure out what really matters to me when choosing a new club. It’s been a big learning experience.
“It really comes down to the league. The English league is a bit more balanced, and the culture outside football would be a bigger adjustment elsewhere. The language is easier there too.”
Gaupset is a young player, but an exciting one. She turned a lot of heads while playing with Brann in the Champions League in 2023-24 and for Norway in the Euros, and while stats from the Norwegian Topserien (which just ended last week) are hard to come by, she had 15 goals and 14 assists for Brann this season, putting her the league’s third highest scorer and the league leader in assists.
Her Champions League stats from 2023-24 when she was 18 are also pretty dope.
She will leave Brann with statistics of 33 goals in 121 matches, three league titles, a Norwegian Cup win, and a quarterfinal appearance in the Women’s Champions League. She profiles as a shooty attacking midfielder, and her signing would suggest that she’s likely coming in as the heir to Kit Graham in Spurs’ attacking band. Graham, 29, has been at Tottenham since 2019 and is loved by Spurs fans, but she’s also coming off of two recent ACL injuries and has been used sparingly by Ho so far this season. Midfielder Maite Oroz also sustained a knee injury in October, and Gaupset likely not have to wait long to get minutes in the WSL.
Tottenham do love to mine Scandinavia for talent, and they’re going back to the well with this signing. That’s okay. Gaupset profiles as a player you can dream on, though this would be a significant step up in competition for her. That said, it also signifies Spurs are ready to once again spend real money to get players in to improve the team, and that’s pretty exciting. I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do in the second half of the season!
