Few footballers are confident enough to shoot from 40 yards on their full debut for a new club, much less score, but Tottenham’s Cathinka Tandberg is one of them.

Visiting Everton ten days after sealing her transfer from Hammarby last summer, she opened her account with a perfectly-judged lob over a helpless Courtney Brosnan, struck perfectly and without hesitation.

Tandberg could not have imagined a better introduction to her new league. Her statement goal sent a clear message to Tottenham’s rivals: the club’s new era, fronted by head coach Martin Ho and backed by considerable financial investment, was one to be taken seriously.

“It is a bit wild to think I have already been here a year,” Tandberg told from the club’s pre-season camp in Spain. “I came in with attitude. I wanted to show myself. It was my first season and I’m just ready to show more.”

Tandberg is prepared to ride the wave in her sophomore Tottenham season. She contributed six league goals as the club finished 13 points adrift of European places, and has lofty ambitions for year two.

Her hopes have been bolstered by Spurs’ impressive summer of recruitment - Ho has made the club an attractive destination. Alice Sombath arrived from OL Lyonnes in a club-record deal, while Victoria Pelova, Kirsty Hanson, and Shekeira Martinez have all signed from WSL rivals - Arsenal, Aston Villa and West Ham, respectively.

Being a girlhood Tottenham fan, Tandberg wants nothing more than to see the club succeed. She is hardly surprised to see top players joining.

“It is a dream playing here,” she adds. “And that is the reason why players are coming to this club. They know what we can achieve and what Martin brings to a team.

“We always want to improve, we always want to get better. We’ve brought in some quality players and that is a sign we are aiming high, and we have high expectations of ourselves.”

Tandberg will shoulder increased responsibility this season. After club captain Beth England left to join Crystal Palace, the Norwegian will be expected to replace a key source of not only goals, but also character.

She will also inherit the pressure and attention of England’s vacant No9 shirt.

Such pressure should be no problem for Tandberg. Ho has lauded her unflappable attitude and “infectious” personality.

While she is prepared to step up in England’s place, Tandberg plans to blaze her own trail: “I will wear the No9 shirt with pride, but I want to make it mine.

“I want to make it a number people remember with my name on it. Every time I step on the pitch, every time I wear that badge, I will do everything for this club.”

Tandberg, while bubbly and energetic, carries an air of determination and humility. She refuses to reveal her personal targets for the campaign, saying they are nobody’s business but her own. She makes plain, though, that she wants to be talked about.

Her screamer at Goodison Park achieved that, and she hopes to upstage herself this campaign with a bicycle kick. Why? “I like doing crazy things because it makes people talk about you, and I think that’s cool.”

Her droll approach to stardom is reminiscent of her countryman Erling Haaland, who this summer powered Norway to a best-ever World Cup finish.

Tandberg is not presently the first-choice striker for Norway - she is behind Barcelona’s Caroline Graham Hansen - but with the 2027 World Cup looming, she is intent on changing that.

She is unequivocal: “I will use this year as a year to show I am good enough, and I am going to be in that squad.

“I want to fight to be in the team, and I want to be a player that plays in those tournaments.”

Naturally, she is pitching herself as Haaland’s foil: “It is very good to have someone a bit different. I also want to be different, so I will probably find something weird to do - but I will do it in my own way.”

Tandberg knows her World Cup dream will hinge on a successful club season, and for Tottenham, that means qualifying for the Champions League, and is adamant it’s within reach.

“The players that we have now, that is 100 per cent achievable. If we focus on ourselves, we will win a lot of games. That is everyone’s dream.”