It’s been a summer of waiting for Jess Ziu.
The Republic of Ireland midfielder was announced as joining West Ham United back in March, a confirmation which coincided with St. Patricks Day.
Whilst it was a day of celebration for everyone in Ireland, it was extra special for Ziu – who had achieved her aim of making the move across the Irish Sea to play in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
Ziu finally got the chance to link up with her new teammates this week, joining Paul Konchesky's side for the first day of pre-season.
“It’s been amazing and has gone exactly the way I thought it would have gone,” Ziu told West Ham TV.
“All of the girls and the staff behind the scenes have been so welcoming – we’ve got the first couple of days of testing out of the way, so it’s time to recover now and get ready to go in the second half of the week.
“I’ve had to wait a while to get over here, but it was easier because everyone at home knew that I was coming here so I didn’t have to keep it a secret.
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I’ve been so excited to get here and start with the team, and I’m here now for the next two years, which I’m delighted with."
It’s not the first time that Ziu has visited the Irons’ training base. The midfielder made the trip to east London earlier this year and was given a tour of the facilities, as well as meeting some of her soon-to-be teammates.
“I’m actually lucky that I was over here earlier on in the year, and a few of them remembered me when I came back. When I did visit for the first time, I knew as soon as I came into the training ground that I wanted this to be my home, and luckily West Ham offered me a contract.
“I’ve really felt at home since I arrived, and as I said, all of the players and staff have been so welcoming and nice.”
The 20-year-old has spent part of the summer away with her country, playing a starring role in a 9-0 demolition of Georgia in 2023 Women’s World Cup qualifying – picking up her 10th cap in the process.
Work has been intensive in the searing heat at Chadwell Heath since the squad returned, but Ziu believes it adds another challenge to the testing process.
“Luckily, I was away with the National Team in Turkey a couple of weeks ago with temperatures of about 37 degrees – then I went to Spain with my family, so I haven’t actually had any cold weather for the past month.
“The weather has been nice, but it adds another challenge to the testing.”
There’s excitement in the air about what Ziu could add to this West Ham United team. At Shelbourne in her native Ireland, Ziu helped the Dublin based outfit to win the Women’s National Championship in 2021.
Despite her relatively young age, Ziu made 47 appearances for Shelbourne across four seasons, which means that she arrives in East London with plenty of first-team experience under her belt.
“My biggest aim this season is, first and foremost, to stay fit and healthy – I don’t want any injuries. I’d love to get minutes, break into the first team and then be rewarded with a start if I’m performing well enough.
“I want to get goals and assists for the team and help the Club to finish in the top four – Champions League next year would be great – but yeah, on a personal level my main aim is to stay fit and healthy."
