Bethany England says Lionesses recall vindicates switch to Tottenham

Bethany England believes her Lionesses recall for this summer’s Women’s World Cup vindicates ‘risky’ record switch from Chelsea to Tottenham in January

• Back in January, Bethany England made a domestic record switch to Tottenham
• It was a ‘risk’ leaving Chelsea but she now believes that her choice is vindicated
• England has managed to force her way back into Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses 

Bethany England believes her inclusion in the Lionesses’ World Cup squad is proof her January move from Chelsea to Tottenham is a risk that paid off.

It was touch and go whether the striker would make Sarina Wiegman’s 23-player squad for this summer’s tournament after being left out of three successive camps following the European Championship.

After struggling for game time with Chelsea, England joined Spurs for a domestic record fee of £250,000 in January in a bid to force her way back Wiegman’s plans.

With 12 goals in 12 Women’s Super League games, the 29-year-old did enough to convince the England boss she was worthy of a place.

‘I think I’d done everything I could to get put in this position. I worked as best as I could so the question was just left to Sarina.

Bethany England has managed to force her way back into England’s Lionesses set-up

England was presented with an international cap by Prince William at St George’s Park

‘Anything is a risk in football. The situation I was in [at Chelsea], I wasn’t getting used, I was stuck on the bench and as Sarina said, rightly, I wasn’t getting picked because I wasn’t getting minutes.

‘I did not want to be sat in a position where I didn’t try and give my everything to go.

‘I could have stayed at Chelsea, I could have stayed on the bench in my comfort zone but then I’d have been watching other people going out there to Australia when I know that it’s something I would have regretted looking back on.

‘I’m glad the risk paid off and even if it didn’t pay off and I didn’t come, I could have at least looked at myself in the mirror knowing I did everything I could to put myself on that flight.’

England admitted it was tough to watch the Lionesses win the Arnold Clark Cup and the Finalissma from afar but said she kept in touch with Wiegman and always hoped she would be able to force her way back into her plans.

England (middle) believes that her recall vindicates her ‘risky’ January move to Tottenham

‘We’ve been in conversations throughout. Ultimately it’s my career and I had to take it into my own hands and make sure that I put myself in the best position because I’m not getting any younger.

‘Obviously at the back of my mind the World Cup was creeping up, I’d not been selected for a couple of camps leading into Christmas so it was in the back of my mind.

‘Every player wants to be part of these big moments representing your country, going to big tournaments so I think that was definitely a key factor in it but ultimately, I think in myself I knew that I wasn’t happy.

‘You can only control what you can control and all I could do was go to Spurs, make sure that I worked hard, trained hard and put in the performances in on a game day and I think I very much did that.’

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