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Tottenham coach Martin Ho defends decision to let Bethany England go

Martin Ho has acknowledged it is a risk to let Tottenham captain Bethany England leave, but has insisted the club are aligned and confident in their decision.

Spurs announced on Thursday that forward England would depart this summer after a highly successful three-and-a-half-year spell where she has scored 38 goals and was involved in a historic run to the FA Cup final at Wembley in 2024.

Ahead of Sunday's final home fixture in the Women's Super League with London City, Ho said: "Any decision you make there is always going to be a risk but I believe we are aligned and moving forward and confident in what we need to do.

"Beth has been a huge part of what we've done, she's played a huge and key role here and I have no doubt in her future endeavours she will do the same. I have huge respect for her and what she has done for the game.

"If you look at what she has achieved in terms of appearances and goals scored over that period of time, she will go down as one of the greats for sure."

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On the opportunity for England and others to have a proper farewell on Sunday, Ho said: "I want to make sure that anyone who leaves the club gets the opportunity to say bye to the fans, the fans get the opportunity to show their appreciation and respect to them.

"You can do it at the end of the season, but I don't think it shows any respect or courage.

"Hopefully they are happy with the decision. They are never happy with the decisions, but I think they are happy that they get the chance to say bye to the fans because they have built such a strong relationship with them while they have been here."