With the January transfer window almost upon us, some teams have started to think about how to strengthen their squads and get more competitive in preparation for the second half of the season. Although a high-profile transfer in the winter window is unlikely, in the world of football, nothing can be ruled out. And if a big signing was to be made, it was always going to be someone from America, due to their season having just ended. So, it was no surprise to find that Kristie Mewis has recently been linked to Spurs, and it makes sense for multiple reasons. The main one is to live in London, where her girlfriend and fellow footballer Sam Kerr live.
However, it would make sense for Mewis (a world-class footballer) to be moving to Kerr’s team, Chelsea (A world-class team). But the Blues are already way too stacked, and the other great team in London (Arsenal) also have a second-string 11 which is capable of getting a top-half finish. So, it makes a lot of sense for her to join a team whose ambitions are growing, and that team just happens to be Tottenham Hotspur. But, who actually is Kristie Mewis? And would she fit in at the Hive? Well, let’s find out.
KRISTIE MEWIS’ BACKGROUND
Kristie Anne Mewis is a 30-year-old American midfielder who currently plays for Houston Dash, but is moving to Gotham FC in January 2022. She started her playing career at her high school football team, but started getting watched at Boston College, After spending 3 years in their youth setup, she briefly moved to Canberra United to finish off the W-League’s 2012/13 season. She then joined Kansas City to start the NWSL 2013 season. A 21-year-old Mewis gained consistent minutes, with around 20 matches, and helped them to get to the playoffs, where they were defeated in the semis. It was a good start to Mewis’ professional career, but she was traded to Reign, and then traded again to her new home, the Boston Breakers. In the 2014 NWSL season, Mewis started 15 games, but did not return to the playoffs, as her team slumped to eighth in the nine-team league. That was when she felt it was time to move away from the NWSL, even if it wasn’t on a permanent basis.
So, in October 2014, Kristie went on loan from the Breakers to Iga FC Kunoichi, who played in the Japanese top tier at the time. She surprisingly played as a forward in Japan, but did perform well, scoring 5 goals in 7 games. After her 3 months was up, Mewis returned to Boston Breakers, where she scored 7 goals in all competitions, but didn’t qualify for the season’s playoffs, and finished rock bottom. After the season finished, Mewis went to Bayern Munich on a 1-year loan, meaning she wouldn’t be returning to the NWSL for the 2016 season. She barely played for Bayern, only playing 7 league matches and scoring a single goal, but her team won the Bundesliga.
The weird thing is, Mewis never really had a ‘breakout’ season. By the time she was 25, she’d had a few good ones, but nothing vastly ahead of the rest. So, Washington Spirit decided to sign her, likely due to her consistency and overall quality. She delivered, with 2 goals in 8 league games from midfield, however, her team still didn’t perform, missing out on the playoffs by 20 points, and finishing rock bottom. As a result, Mewis left the club, and went through Chicago Red Stars to her current club, Houston Dash, In her 4 years in Houston, she has scored 6 goals, in 38 league games. So, now that we’re done with her career so far, why would she join Spurs, considering that she just swapped clubs.
ISN’T SHE JOINING GOTHAM?
Well, this is conflicting, right? Kristie Mewis just signed with Gotham 3 days ago, so you’d assume she’d stay there, right? Wrong. Many have assumed that this is just Gotham either wanting to get a good bit of profit, or this could just be a loan for the off-season. Sadly for Tottenham, it’s likely the second, so we are going to focus on a potential 4/6 month loan deal, something which Mewis isn’t exactly unfamiliar with.
WHY KRISTIE MEWIS IS THE PERFECT (LOAN) SIGNING FOR SPURS
I actually think that the fact she’s a loan deal helps the Lilywhites. I mean, don’t get me wrong, they’d love to have a player as good as Mewis, but their main goal is attempting to secure Champions League football this season. It’s also good for Kristie, as she may get to live with Sam Kerr in London, which was probably the main reason she wasn’t linked to Manchester City, which is where her sister, Sam Mewis, played for 2 years.
Despite being good enough to get in and around the Chelsea squad, Kristie will want game time, and may even be looking at a permanent switch to the Lilywhites if she finds the benefits worth it, both to her relationship and playing career, if Spurs get Champions League football, then it could definitely be something for her to consider, considering the subversion of the Europe-America dynamic, as it’s now European football which is currently seen with a higher ceiling. So, it’s possible that, if Mewis secures Champions League football for Tottenham, then she could stay there if they pay the right price to Gotham.
