In the preview of the FA Cup final I posted yesterday, I called Grace Clinton “Tottenham Hotspur Women’s best player.” Turns out I didn’t go far enough. Today, Clinton was named as one of eight nominees for the Barclays WSL Player of the Season, and boy howdy is it deserved.
It’s a pretty solid nomination slate. Clinton is part of a field that includes Chelsea’s Niamh Charles and Lauren James, Manchester City’s Bunny Shaw and Khiara Keating, Arsenal’s Lotte Wubben-Moy, Brighton’s Elisabeth Terland, and Leicester’s Jutta Rantala.
Now, I’m lazy and haven’t bothered to go back and check, but I feel pretty confident in saying this is the first time that a Spurs player has ever been nominated for a WSL Player of the Season award. Grace has been phenomenal this season, a true defense-unlocker and creative player and the catalyst for Tottenham’s offense. The only sad part is that she’s technically a Manchester United player, having joined Spurs on a season-long loan.
That said, she’s a long-shot in this field. If I were to guess I’d say that Bunny Shaw (21g, 3a) has this one in the bag, but you could squint and make an argument for just about anyone on this list.
But all that’s to say Grace Clinton is amazing. Congrats to her and to Tottenham Women!
