Ambitious Swede arrives at Spurs with big plans to transform the club into WSL and Champions League contenders
Nge Postecoglou is not the only Tottenham coach hungry for new challenges.
Swede Robert Vilahamn took over Spurs Women this summer, from Swedish club BK Hacken, and led them into their Women’s Super League (WSL) opener against Chelsea on Sunday.
Like Postecoglou, Vilahamn, 40, has the ambition to assert himself at the highest level.
“I’m doing well in Sweden, but when I’m happy, I want to take the next step,” Vilahamn said. “The Women’s Super League is the best league in the world and Tottenham are one of the clubs that can become one of the best clubs in the world.
“We are playing the way I want, but we still have a long way to go because last season was not the best and the players were not in the best form.”
Spurs only avoided relegation by seven points last season but there is renewed optimism ahead of the new campaign.
“When they recruited me, the same staff were recruiting Ange”, Vilahamn recalls. “Ange and I probably play and lead in a similar way.
“My final interview was with Daniel Levy, and it was mainly about making sure the women’s team is something we are proud of. I have meetings with Ange, with Scott Munn [chief football officer], Andy Rogers [head of football development], and the academy coach. I can really feel that everybody wants the same thing.”
One of Vilahamn’s early decisions was to appoint Lionesses striker Beth England as the new Spurs captain, though the 29-year-old will miss the start of the season after hip surgery.
Ange Postecoglou and I probably play and lead in a similar way
“You look two years ago, they [Tottenham] finished fifth, but I think perhaps they didn’t play the best football,” says Vilahamn. “Finishing fifth was a bit of a [false position].
“In the long run, we want to make sure we’re a team developing young players to make sure we can compete in the Champions League and for titles. I don’t think we can be like Arsenal and Chelsea and buy 10 players every year, we need to recruit cleverly.”
