Bethany England's surprise Lionesses call-up is deserved – Tottenham star has earned the chance to shine at the Women's World Cup

The striker has been on fire since swapping Chelsea for Spurs – and she merits the opportunity to have an impact in Australia and New Zealand

As England’s 2023 Women’s World Cup squad came through on Wednesday afternoon, murmurs bubbled up around the room which Lionesses head coach Sarina Wiegman was soon to walk into for her post-announcement press conference. Bethany England had received her first call-up for her country since September – and what a time to get it.

Just over six months ago, the chances of her getting a ticket on the plane seemed impossible. England had spent the first half of the season struggling for gametime at Chelsea. When Sam Kerr first arrived at the club, the pair had worked well together on the pitch, but it would soon prove to be a case of one or the other in manager Emma Hayes’ starting line ups.

In the January transfer window, then, England made a big decision. Seven years after joining Chelsea, a spell which had seen her win nine trophies with the team, multiple individual accolades and the hearts of the fans, she would leave – and join relegation-threatened Spurs.

She wanted to get the gametime to go to the World Cup, but would she get the service at the north London club to produce form worthy of a place in the squad? It was certainly a risk – Spurs had scored just 11 goals in nine games.

But after Wednesday's announcement, it would all prove worthwhile, and now England has a chance to help her country win the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

GettyStruggles at Chelsea

Before Christmas, fans would see England only 10 times in Chelsea colours as opportunities proved hard to come by. The forward played just 294 minutes across the Women’s Super League and Women’s Champions League, scoring twice in the league. It resulted in her missing out on Wiegman’s October and November squads, despite her being a part of the triumph at Euro 2022.

Ellen White’s retirement meant the No.9 shirt was up for grabs with the Lionesses, but England’s lack of minutes was hindering her ability to compete for it, all while Rachel Daly hit the ground running at new club Aston Villa in a campaign that would end with her claiming the WSL’s Golden Boot.

Something had to change for the Chelsea star – and fast.

AdvertisementGettyThe grass isn't always greener

To leave a club like Chelsea is always going to be a big decision, though. The Blues have won the WSL in each of the last four seasons, lifting a further five domestic cups in that time. It’s a club that almost guarantees success for a player, as well as the chance to play European football. For a striker, it’s also a club where you are guaranteed quality service whenever you are on the pitch.

Towards the end of December, rumours began to emerge of where England might go instead. Spurs was the reported destination – and for a British-record fee. That clearly expressed that Tottenham massively rated her. She’d go in as the starting No.9, too, that’s for sure.

But the big question was whether she would get the chances to score the goals to catch Wiegman’s eye. It was certainly a gamble.

GettyElectric despite it all

Yet, it was a gamble that would pay off. Despite swapping a title chase for a relegation battle, England hit the ground running. It took her just 28 minutes on her Spurs debut to find the back of the net, in a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa. A goal against London City in the Women’s FA Cup came in her third appearance, with a strike against Chelsea in her next outing and one against Manchester United the week after that.

It wasn’t just a purple patch. It was form that ran until the season’s end, with 12 goals in 12 league games helping to fire Spurs to safety. Indeed, of players who had seven shots or more after January 1, England's shot conversion rate of 43 percent was the best in the league.

She was not only one of the best signings of the WSL season, but one of its best players, too. That's quite a feat to accomplish while playing for a team that would finish fourth-from-bottom.

GettyStill waiting on Wiegman

But while England was firing those goals in, Wiegman still wouldn’t give her that call. In February, the Lionesses boss selected Manchester United's Alessia Russo and U.S.-based starlet Ebony Salmon as her options for the No.9 role, as well as Daly who shone during the window. Two months later, it was just Daly and Russo, with the battle for the shirt appearing to be between the pair.

But England kept plugging away, kept finding the back of the net for Spurs and, at the end of May, Wiegman’s name finally lit up her phone. When the Dutch coach was asked what prompted her to recall the Spurs star, she replied before the question could even be finished. “Her performances,” she said.

“She was at Chelsea and didn’t build that much credit because we hardly saw her play but then she made a move and how she did, performed and the resilience she showed made us make the decision to get her in the squad.”