Tottenham Women have smashed the British transfer record to sign Beth England from Chelsea.
Sportsmail reported back in December that the 28-year-old forward had agreed to join Spurs in a move worth £250,000.
Lauren James’s £200,000 transfer from Manchester to Chelsea in 2021 was the previous record for a player moving between Women’s Super League clubs but England’s move makes her the most expensive British player in the WSL.
Keira Walsh holds the record for an English player moving abroad, with her summer move from Manchester City to Barcelona believed to be around £400,000.
England said goodbye to her Chelsea team-mates before Christmas after the club had beaten Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Tottenham have struggled for goals this season but hope England will hit the ground running when the league re-starts in January.
Spurs, who are eighth in the WSL table, have managed just 11 goals in nine league games this season, with eight of those coming in the same match.
England has 11 goals in 21 games for the Lionesses and was part of the Euro-winning squad this summer, though she did not play a minute in the tournament.
England has recently struggled for playing time at Chelsea and has started just two league games all season.
The striker was left out of Sarina Wiegman’s last two England squads in October and November. Her last goals for the Lionesses came in September’s World Cup qualifier against Luxembourg.
It is understood England’s motivation to be picked for next summer’s World Cup squad played a big part in her decision to leave Chelsea.
Wiegman can only pick 23 players after FIFA denied requests for squads to be increased to 26, meaning competition for places is even more fierce.
England has been at Chelsea since 2016 after joining the club from Doncaster Rovers. She scored 10 goals in 16 matches during a loan spell with Liverpool in the 2017-2018 season before returning to the Blues.
The forward was Chelsea’s top scorer in the following campaign with 22 goals in all competitions before repeating that feat in the 2019-2020 season, which was curtailed due to Covid-19.
England, who also scored the winning goal in the Continental League Cup final that year, was named the WSL player of the season as the Blues were awarded the title on points per game.
