Victoria Pelova: 'I was scared to tell my old teammates' after move from Arsenal to Spurs

Victoria Pelova said she had moved from Arsenal to Tottenham across north London and discussed the transfer in an interview published on 1 September 2026; the Netherlands midfielder, 27, added that she was "really scared to tell my old teammates that I was going here."

Pelova described the switch as amicable and said she left Arsenal after three seasons in which she had limited minutes and suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained on international duty in June 2024. She said supporters and team-mates at Arsenal reacted warmly to her decision: "My close friends knew about it, obviously, but everyone responded so well. Everyone tells me that it reflects on the person I am. So, I’m actually really glad about that."

The player said Martin Ho’s recruitment approach was decisive, citing the manager’s clarity about her role: "The way Martin approached me, what he said about how he sees me as a player, the videos he showed me and how he wants me to be, I’ve actually never had a coach talking like that about me." Pelova added that her mother’s immediate approval was important in her choice: "I talked a lot with my mum about it and she immediately said yes. That was actually the most important thing for me, what my mum thought."

Pelova also spoke about personal hardship off the pitch, saying that at the start of June she had shared online that her mum had died and that she was not ready to discuss the loss in detail. She reflected on a period at Arsenal when her mother was ill and she did not receive the minutes she expected, saying: "There was a private situation going on, my mum was ill, and I didn’t get minutes. So, it was a really tough time and people didn’t know what I was going through."

She framed the Tottenham move as a fresh start and a chance to regain enjoyment in football, stating her immediate aim: "To be happy again, in football and outside football, and just day by day see how it goes." Pelova clarified the connection between happiness and performance: "It sounds like I have not been happy, but I have been happy in the last year and in being with my friends. But when you’re not playing as regularly as you want to it’s inevitable that you’re not going to be totally happy, and when I’m the happiest person, I will be the best footballer I can be."

On the training environment and team integration, Pelova said she appreciated Ho’s specificity about her role and his detailed approach to coaching: "All the coaches I’ve met are always like: ‘Oh, you can play there and there and there.’ Martin was like: ‘You’re this for me.’ He knew exactly where he wanted me and what he wanted from me. That, right away, set the tone for me and it was where and how I see myself as well. What I’ve seen so far is that he’s so detailed. He just wants to make you better. He’s very strict, but he wants to make you a better player and that’s why I’m here."

Pelova said existing friendships at Spurs eased her move, noting long-standing relationships with team-mates: she has known Caitlin Dijkstra for eight years and lived with her in Amsterdam, and she cited Lize Kop among her closest friends. She described her approach to building bonds with younger players and the physical demands of pre-season: "I’m quite social so I’ve been trying to get to know everyone, the youngsters. It’s quite a hard job in the beginning, it’s intense, but I like it. On the pitch, you’re building relationships, pre-season is always heavy, you just need to grind, but it has been good."

Pelova welcomed the underdog tag for Tottenham and expressed impatience for competitive fixtures, saying: "You need to put us on as underdogs. The underdog position is the place to be." She also joked about the end of pre-season: "Please, stop pre-season," she says with a laugh. "I just want to start. I can’t wait to play against all the teams. I can’t wait to play against Arsenal."

Tottenham are scheduled to begin their campaign at home against West Ham on Sunday, and Pelova highlighted the match on 25 October at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as one she is particularly looking forward to.