While much of the pre-season talk focused on Manchester City’s WSL title defense and how a new-look London City side might fare, Tottenham were quietly going about their business, building on the foundations laid under Martin Ho last season.
One of the players who helped to do this is Olivia kept. When she joined the club in January 2025 under former boss Robert Vilahman, he described her as having the ‘X-factor’ and the potential to be one of the best players in the league.
Big compliments, big expectations – and Holdt has certainly shown why Vilahamn described her as such, even if she’s rarely in the headlines.
She has already started this season with a hat-trick in a 7-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace – something Holdt described as ‘special’ – with Spurs yet to lose in the WSL. They sit in second place, three points behind Man City and a point ahead of this weekend’s opponents – title-holders London City.
“It’s really early, there’s still a lot of games to come and it’s going to be a long season, but so far, it’s looking really good,” Holdt said exclusively ahead of that game on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
“Nobody thinks it’s annoying that we’re second now and we’re very happy to be where we are, but it’s also deserved because our performances have been really good in the first two games.
“I’m looking forward to Sunday. It’s going to be interesting to play against London City. It’s not lost on anyone that they’ve really invested in this season and they’ve got some really strong, good players.
“It will be a good game. Hopefully, we can continue our boom now and get three points on Sunday as well.”
Such a game could determine where Tottenham end up in May. So can the following two after the international break, as they face Chelsea and Arsenal in back-to-back WSL games.
They will provide a real insight into this Spurs squad. They have scored the most goals in the league (15) and conceded just twice, seeing the best of possession and playing fast, attacking football. Coming out of these three games still in the top three and still leading in these metrics, Tottenham should certainly be considered a title contender.
“It will be a good test for us,” Holdt said. “And no disrespect to the teams we’ve played, but they’re probably more of the games we expect to get three points from.
“So coming up against the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal, it will be great for us to see where we are and how we can compete against them. It’s a level up.
“If you look at the players, they’ve been at the top for many years, but every time we play them this season, I think we’ll be able to stand up for ourselves and give them a good game.”
How ‘mutual respect’ with Ho has helped Holdt become a key performer
Holdt has been one of the most consistent performers under Ho, and was Spurs’ top scorer last season. She scored ten goals in all competitions, with eight in the WSL. It is clear that their relationship is one that has been mutually beneficial in Spurs’ success.
“He is a great coach and he has helped me a lot to make my good performances in the league,” said the Danish international.
“I think it’s his ability to give the players confidence and energy and belief in themselves. We also have a good relationship off the pitch.
“We have a mutual respect for each other. I might disagree with him and he might disagree with me. I think that’s why it’s worked well for us because we can be honest with each other. Martin can tell me the hard truth and I’ve told him not to beat around the bush.
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“It can get heated sometimes, but at the same time, we both want the best for each other and we have this mutual respect. It’s good.”
While Holdt has been used mostly on the right wing, she has moved more into the middle this season compared to last, and says she is happy to play wherever Ho wants.
“I feel like since I joined Spurs, I’ve played a few different positions,” she added. “We are trying to understand where I can help the team the most and where I can bring out the best in myself.
“But at the end of the day, Martin is the one who makes the decisions, so if he wants to play me on the right, I’ll do that. If he wants to play me as a 10, then I’ll be happy to do that. If he wants me on the left, I can try and do my best there as well.
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Highlights of the WSL match between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa
“I like to see myself as an all-round offensive player, so where exactly I’m positioned on the pitch doesn’t affect me that much as long as the game plan is set and I have good players around me who can help me find my role.
“It’s nice to be everywhere a bit and maybe that makes it harder for the opposition too. They never know where I’m going to be.”
Holdt and Spurs will be hoping that is the case over the next few weeks as they look to maintain their WSL streak.
