Tottenham: Who is new manager Robert Vilahamn?

Robert Vilahamn played for IFK Goteborg and Sweden Under-19s before moving into coaching

Robert Vilahamn has spent his whole career in Sweden. Now he's in north London and ready to take on "the best league in the world".

He arrives at Tottenham from Champions League regulars BK Hacken, who have been challenging for the title in recent years.

Spurs, meanwhile, found themselves in the depths of the Women's Super League last season, sitting only two points above the relegation zone when Rehanne Skinner was sacked in March.

Vilahamn's new assistant manager Vicky Jepson was able to steer the club to safety as interim boss, but the ninth-place finish was Spurs' lowest since their promotion in 2019.

Can 40-year-old Swede Vilahamn turn Tottenham's fortunes around?

Success in Sweden

According to Vilahamn, he was doing "fine" in Sweden. However, his track record suggests he was doing better than "fine".

When he began his coaching career in 2008 at Ytterby IS, he led the men's side to back-to-back promotions, and he did the same at his next club, which was another men's team, Qviding FIF, guiding them from the fifth tier of Swedish football to the third in his two seasons in charge.

Then came Hacken. At first, Vilahamn was assistant manager of the men's team, but two years later he was leading out the women's team.

Despite calling the first six months of his tenure "terrible", Vilahamn still made sure they qualified for the Women's Champions League and reached consecutive Swedish Cup finals.

"We were getting good results and I was in a happy place there, but when I become happy I want to take the next step," Vilahamn said.

"I know how to win in Sweden, but I need to get to know England and get the experience from Vicky and everybody around me.

"I don't [want to] go into the Women's Super League and be stupid. I need to be sharp."

Vilahamn is taking confidence from other Scandinavian managers' recent success in the WSL.

"You need to believe in yourself in this world. When you look at what Jonas (Eidevall) did at Arsenal and Brian (Sorensen) at Everton - those two I know quite well - I know they can do it here, I can do it here," Vilahamn said.

"I have a high belief that my philosophy, connected to the Tottenham philosophy, will be what the players need and want, and they can perform the best way.

"Hopefully we can do magic together."

Similarities with Postecoglou

While the WSL season is just about to start, the Premier League is well under way and Tottenham's men's team are unbeaten after six league matches under new manager Ange Postecoglou.

Vilahamn is hoping he can get the women's team off to a similar start and follow in Postecoglou's footsteps.

"When they recruited me there were the same recruitment staff recruiting Ange," he said.

"So they talk about how Tottenham want to play; they look for those coaches. Me and Ange are probably playing in quite a similar way. We lead in a certain way, which is also quite similar.

"Tottenham want to play a style with the men's team and the women's team, academy and me and Ange try to do the same stuff with how to play - not the same formation all the time, but trying to be brave enough to play good, offensive football and in the long run, win games."

Hopes for Tottenham

Vilahamn could hardly have picked a trickier fixture for his first WSL match - against defending champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Perhaps, however, it is the perfect start for a manager who is keen to manage expectations during his first campaign.

"We shouldn't expect Tottenham to win the league this year," Vilahamn said.

"They don't want to push me to win the league the first year. They want to push me to make sure we have this identity and of course they want to be better than last year."

At the start of last season there was hype around Spurs' potential to challenge for a Champions League spot after finishing fifth in 2021-22 - their highest league finish.

However, Champions League football is not the goal this season for Vilahamn, who said the final position was "not the most important thing" for himself or the club's board.

He said: "Year two for the Champions League spots is what I'm thinking of. Year one to make sure we play good football that's starting to win games.

"I want to win titles but by having a good environment where you develop every day is the most fun."

Playing on the big stage

Spurs played three WSL matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season

Tottenham have had mixed pre-season results under Vilahamn.

Their most recent game - a 1-0 defeat by Manchester United - was preceded by a 0-0 draw with Brighton, a thumping 9-0 victory over London Bees, and a 0-0 draw against Aston Villa which gave Vilahamn his first taste of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

"I coached in quite good stadiums in Sweden but this is something else," he said. "I was like 'this is a spaceship, wow!'"

He said the more games that Spurs can play at the 62,850-capacity stadium, the better the product can become.

"For the product, for you guys to get there and have a good media room and supporters to have a good one, and the sponsors to have a nice environment, the product becomes much better, because it's business as well," Vilahamn said.

"We don't need to bring the men's supporters all the time. We can bring new families, young girls and that type of thing - you can actually fill the stadiums with different people."

"When you are there you think 'wow, I am representing this club and for me it's inspiration'. So if we can be there and make sure everybody's proud of Tottenham, that's the mission we have."