Maz Pacheco cannot wait to begin life in Claret and Blue after joining West Ham United from Reading.
Pacheco became the Hammers’ second signing of the summer ahead of the 2020/21 campaign after the left-back’s move to east London was confirmed on Friday.
Despite making her debut in senior women’s football in 2015, the 21-year-old knows she still has a long journey in the game ahead of her and is excited to continue her own personal development with the Irons.
“I’m very excited to join West Ham,” Pacheco told West Ham TV. “West Ham is a brand-new team that is still very much at the start of their journey, and I think that’s like I am as well.
“It’s about growing together, and I really like the idea of growing together with the Club and giving everything, I can for this shirt. With the players that have been kept, it’s a good group to be around and I can’t wait to get started with them.”
The move to West Ham means Pacheco once again links up with Matt Beard, the coach who gave the full-back her debut during her Liverpool days as a 16-year-old.
The new Hammer knows Beard to be a fantastic coach and motivator and is looking forward to working closely with the Irons boss in the coming season and beyond.
She continued: “Matt is almost like a dad-figure to me. To have that relationship, I think, is so important, especially for me as a player. I know what I want from a manager and I know what I need him to be, and I know what I need to be for him, so it’s good that we have that relationship.
“I know Beardy through Liverpool, where he bought be through the Academy. We’ve already got that relationship and it was a case of building that back up this year and getting my confidence back. I think West Ham is certainly the place to do that.”
Pacheco moves to West Ham after two years in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League with Reading, where the defender featured in 36 matches in all competitions.
The new signing is eager to make use of her lessons from her days with the Royals and become an even better player for West Ham.
It is her hope that she, and her new teammates can push even higher up the WSL table and compete for honours on a regular basis.
“It was a good, hard two-years at Reading,” Pacheco added: “I went there from Doncaster and stepped back up to the Women’s Super League, and it was a big step for me. Reading helped me massively and now, for me, it’s a case of putting everything I’ve learned from them into practise here and becoming even better.
"I think I’ve got loads of years ahead of me and I want to keep going in that direction. I want to climb through the leagues and start winning things.
“I know West Ham got to the Final of the FA Cup a couple of years ago, and it would be good to replicate that, go even better, and push even higher up the league too.”
