West Ham United are delighted to announce that five women’s players have committed to new contracts with the Barclays FA Women’s Super League club.
As the Irons return for pre-season training ahead of the 2020/21 campaign in the coming week, a key group of core first-team stars have put pen to paper on new deals with the Hammers ahead of the team’s third season as a professional outfit in the top flight of female football in England.
Captain Gilly Flaherty, forward Alisha Lehmann, Korean midfielder Cho So-hyun and Canadian attacker Adriana Leon have signed new two-year deals with West Ham United, keeping them with Matt Beard’s side until 2022.
French international Kenza Dali, meanwhile, has agreed a new one-year deal with West Ham, extending the midfielder’s stay in east London until 2021.
It has been a pleasure to work with Gilly, Cho, Alisha, Dri and Kenza during their respective careers with West Ham so far and I am looking forward to continuing our good work together through pre-season and into the new campaign.
Matt Beard
Head coach Matt Beard told whufc.com: “I am thrilled to secure the futures of Gilly, Cho, Alisha, Adriana and Kenza at West Ham United.
“The five players who have committed their futures to the Irons have proven themselves to be key individuals in our team, both on and off the pitch, and help to form the spine of a side that I am confident can challenge for honours in the new season and beyond.
“It has been a pleasure to work with Gilly, Cho, Alisha, Dri and Kenza during their respective careers with West Ham so far and I am looking forward to continuing our good work together through pre-season and into the new campaign.”
Defender Flaherty moved to the Hammers in the club’s first summer as a professional women’s team, joining the Irons from Chelsea and becoming the team’s first captain. The centre-back has made 48 appearances in all competitions for the side, scoring one goal, and skipped the team to the Women’s FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in May 2019.
Swiss international Lehmann also switched to West Ham in 2018, joining the east London team from BSC YB Frauen. The No7 has scored 13 goals in 48 outings in all competitions for West Ham.
Cho, who signed for the Irons in January 2019, has made 23 appearances since switching to West Ham, while Leon has scored nine goals in 26 showings in all competitions since her transfer from Seattle Reign.
Dali joined West Ham from Dijon last summer and finished as the team’s top scorer in the curtailed 2019/20 campaign, netting seven times in 19 appearances.
