Rehanne Skinner: Tottenham replace Karen Hills and Juan Amoros with England assistant coach
- Published
Rehanne Skinner joined the England Women coaching setup at the start of the 2020-21 season
Tottenham Hotspur's women's side have appointed England assistant coach Rehanne Skinner as their new first-team boss after sacking previous co-head coaches Karen Hills and Juan Amoros.
Former Arsenal coach Skinner was part of Lionesses head coach Phil Neville's backroom team in the national set-up.
She has agreed a two-and-a-half-year contract at Spurs until the end of the 2022-23 Women's Super League campaign.
Long-serving duo Hills and Amoros had signed new two-year deals in September.
But Spurs are second bottom of the WSL table, and winless in their first seven league games this season.
Hills had been in charge of Tottenham since 2007, while Amoros was appointed to work alongside her in 2011.
They led the club to promotion to the WSL in 2018-19 and finished seventh last season.
Spurs were in the fifth tier when Hills was first appointed, but together she and Amoros oversaw a rapid rise through the women's football pyramid.
The club are now fully professional and set a new WSL crowd record when 38,262 saw them lose the north London derby against Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November 2019.
A Spurs statement on the sacking of Hills and Amoros said: "This decision has not been taken lightly and has been made in the best interests of the team, with the belief that a fresh approach will offer renewed impetus as we seek to continue our upward trajectory and positive growth.
"We fully recognise and appreciate the contributions of Karen and Juan during their time with the club, helping elevate the team from amateur level to become a fully professional side in the WSL and we thank them both for their hard work and length of service."
'We can build on the progress' - Skinner
Incoming boss Skinner told the club website: "I am really excited to be joining Tottenham Hotspur and cannot wait to get started in the WSL after the international break.
"The club's philosophy and future plans are something I was really keen to be a part of.
"There is some incredible experience within this squad and I am looking forward to getting to work with the players so we can build on the progress that has been made so far and bring future success to the team."
Skinner previously coached Great Britain at the World University Games, winning gold in 2013.
Spurs' head of women's football, Heather Cowan, added: "Rehanne has extensive experience in the women's game and we are looking forward to having her with us now as we look to continue our journey forward in the WSL."
Kay Cossington, the FA's head of women's technical development, told the FA website: "I am delighted for Rehanne. While we are sorry to see her leave, we are committed to helping our talented coaches progress in the game.
"This is a brilliant opportunity and I am sure England teams will feel the benefit in the future of having another WSL head coach who understands our commitment to furthering the player pathway.
"Meanwhile, it will open up another opportunity for a coach to join Phil's coaching staff and work around the senior environment."