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5 hours ago
10
Guardian writers’ predicted position: 11th (NB: this is not necessarily Suzanne Wrack’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 10th
Prospects
West Ham were in big trouble last December, with half the season gone and one win in 11 games. Rehanne Skinner was dismissed and the former Italy forward Rita Guarino came in to steady the ship. There were questions over how much any manager would be able to do without the club giving a bit more support to the women’s setup, but Skinner, fairly or not, had lost the dressing room and heads were down. The impact of Guarino wasn’t instant, a 5-0 defeat by Chelsea was a cruel introduction. It took a little time to rebuild the confidence of the team and get them playing the way she believed they could, but back-to-back wins against Newcastle in the FA Cup and Leicester in the Women’s Super League followed the Chelsea game, before a huge 3-2 win against Brighton and battling draws with Manchester United and London City Lionesses contributed to 14 points from their final 11 WSL games, taking their total to 19.
As players started to depart in the summer, the situation looked bleak. Among the 14 departures were the forward Shekiera Martinez, who joined Tottenham, Katrina Gorry, who decided to take a break from football, and Shelina Zadorsky, who left at the end of her contract before signing for AFC Toronto. Then the signings started to arrive and suddenly the dark clouds were parting.
The Hammers have had a hugely productive and impressive window with 10 signings, including the forwards Kelly Gago, recruited from Everton, and Ebony Salmon, who joined from Aston Villa, the defenders Estelle Cascarino, whose loan was made permanent, and Nadine Riesen and Laia Codina, who joined from Eintracht Frankfurt and Arsenal respectively, and the young English talents Sienna Wareing and Niamh Peacock who signed from Manchester United and Arsenal. Guarino has been backed in this window and West Ham have a real opportunity to make a statement in the WSL.
Off-field picture
West Ham’s relative indifference towards their women’s team has been long known. There has been a steady decline since the departure of the enthusiastic Jack Sullivan as managing director of the women’s team in 2021 – the son of David Sullivan having been handed control of the side at 18. Little is known of how cash strapped the women’s setup is compared with other WSL sides. The club have not published detailed financial figures throughout their time in the WSL, with their most recent Companies House submission saying they are entitled to exemption from audit under section 479A of the Companies Act 2006. According to Football Association figures they were the WSL’s lowest spenders on agents’ fees in the year to February 2026, at £97,000, and one of only two clubs – Manchester United were the other – whose spend was down year on year.
The manager
Guarino was a relative unknown when she arrived in the WSL, having managed only in Italy. In the second half of the season West Ham didn’t quite experience a new manager bounce, but Guarino was able to guide them to another four wins and a 10th-place finish above Liverpool and Leicester. Guarino has impressed. Codina told the BBC of her transfer talks: “I remember having my first conversation with Rita. It was at the beginning of everything. I had my agent next to me and I was like: ‘Wow.’ The feeling that I got in this meeting is what I want in my future; it is what I want for my next steps.”
Star signing
Gago scored 10 goals in 30 games for Everton but was frustrated there, handing in a written transfer request in January. The 27-year-old has praised West Ham, saying: “The family feel of the club really appealed to me and I’m excited to join that family. I’m going to give everything in order to help the team reach our ambitions and I’m really looking forward to getting started.”
Stat attack
West Ham were the most direct team last season. They moved the ball upfield quicker than anyone and only Leicester averaged fewer passes per possession sequence. There is no right way to play; everyone needs a style. But after West Ham collected fewer points than in three of the preceding four campaigns, is it time for a change of approach?
after newsletter promotion
Set for a breakthrough
Inès Belloumou played 18 times for West Ham last season after a long wait following her recruitment from Bayern Munich in July 2024. She was sent out on loan straight away, first to Lazio then to Malmö to build up the points to meet the governing body endorsement criteria for international player visas. This summer the 25-year-old, who was born in France and represented the country up to under-23 level before switching allegiance to Algeria, shone at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Named in the team of the tournament, Belloumou started all six Algeria games as they finished third, with the full-back scoring the winning penalty in the shootout at the end of the third-place playoff. Full of confidence, she is ready to kick on in the WSL.
What they say
“I want to put the club in the highest position in the table and go as far as we can in the cups. For me, the WSL is the best league in the world at the moment and anything can happen. Anything is possible. We need to have a lot of consistency, which is not easy, but it’s why we work hard every day” – Viviane Asseyi, after signing a new contract
Where are they playing their home games?
If you spend too much time dwelling on this you’ll feel as if you’re in Waiting for Godot. The team have not played at the club’s main stadium since a 2-0 loss to Tottenham in front of close to 25,000 fans in September 2019. There has been talk since of it being a priority, including from Skinner, but every year another season ticks on without the team playing at the club’s main home. Instead, the team continue to call Dagenham and Redbridge’s Victoria Road stadium home.
