Kirsty Hanson set for Tottenham move after standout Villa season

Kirsty Hanson was poised to swap Aston Villa for Tottenham after the most productive WSL season of her career, a move that would give Spurs a proven scorer and leave Villa without the player who carried much of their attacking load.

The 28-year-old Scotland international finished the 2025/26 campaign as Villa’s top scorer with 12 league goals, a return that placed her third in the Women’s Super League scoring chart behind only Khadija Shaw and Alessia Russo. Hanson also added one assist, was named Aston Villa’s player of the season and earned a nomination for the WSL Player of the Season award after scoring in every Villa fixture and delivering decisive goals, including the strike that won October’s Goal of the Month against West Ham.

Tottenham had moved into pole position after Aston Villa accepted a bid, with personal terms still being finalised. Hanson had a year left on her Villa contract at the time of the pursuit, with later reporting putting the deal through June 2027 after an extension signed the previous year. The move would also reunite her with Tottenham manager Martin Ho, who worked with Hanson at Manchester United when he was assistant coach there.

For Tottenham, the appeal is obvious. Ho finished fifth in the WSL in his first season in charge, and Spurs have already started reshaping the squad with the arrivals of Shekiera Martinez from West Ham United and defender Caitlin Dijkstra on a long-term contract. Hanson gives them something the table has increasingly rewarded: reliable end product from a forward already proven in the league, plus the familiarity of a manager who knows how to use her. Her five goals in 44 appearances for Scotland add another layer of international experience to a side trying to push higher.

Villa, meanwhile, would be losing more than a scorer. Hanson scored 18 times in 71 appearances for the club after first arriving on loan in 2022/23 before making the move permanent in 2023. Her goals, and the recognition that followed, made her central to Villa’s identity in attack. If Tottenham are buying a finished article, Villa are parting with the player who made their best moments look repeatable.

The deal fits a wider pattern in the WSL, where clubs chasing the next tier are redistributing talent as aggressively as they are adding it. Tottenham’s spending suggests ambition beyond consolidation; Villa’s loss shows how quickly a standout season can turn a player into one of the market’s most valuable pieces.