West Ham United
The Hammers look forward to an exciting season under the leadership of former WSL winning manager, Matt Beard. With a new home of Victoria Road in Dagenham, an upcoming documentary, being the first team to be able to invite fans back and a mass of summer signings, it looks promising for West Ham.
They start the season with a trip to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur before welcoming the other North London based side in Arsenal to Dagenham. This game has been chosen as a government test event with a capacity of 1000 aimed at the Hammers season ticket holders in attending.
On the transfer front, with the backing of the owner’s son, Jack Sullivan as chairman, the Hammers have been able to invest. They welcomed the arrivals of defenders Maz Pacheco and Hawa Cissoko, Australian international goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, Czech midfielder Katerina Svitkova and young prospects Ruby Grant and Nor Mustafa to the club. Aussie midfielder Emily Van Egmond has also committed to the side on loan from Orlando Pride until the end of the calendar year.
With seven players coming in, nine players also made their way out of the club with Katharina Baunach retiring and Tessel Middag heading to Fiorentina the highlights. Filippa Wallen has also moved to Cyprus joining Apollon Limassol, so although available for fantasy selection, will not score points.
Canadian striker Adriana Leon was the club’s top scorer in the WSL during the 2019/20 campaign with five goals while fellow forward Martha Thomas was one behind on four. Alisha Lehmann (3), Kenza Dali (2), Leanne Kiernan and Laura Vetterlein were the only other players to register league strikes.
West Ham have one of the bigger squads in the league this season with several youngsters looking to feature this campaign. Maisy Barker, Angie Dunbar-Bonnie and Mia Cruickshank will be in search of their league debuts while Mustafa, Grant, Wiktoria Kiszkis and Jacynta Galabadaarachchi will look to push on in their development this season.
A player to keep an eye on is Grace Fisk who will be available for the duration of the 2020/21 campaign after joining in January. The 22-year-old centre back is valued at £15,000 and has a chance of being the first-choice defender for the Hammers. A steal if so.
Below we take a look at three players, who could interest ShePlays fantasy managers:
Star of the Show: Laura Vetterlein – DF – £27,500 – 80 points during the 2019/20 campaign
The Hammers highest ShePlays points scorer last season, Vetterlein pipped midfielder Kenza Dali by a sole point. Vetterlein is a double Champions League winner with Wolfsburg bringing a vast amount experience to the Hammers line-up. She started 13 of the 14 WSL games last year scoring once in the victory over Man United, heading home a Dali cross. The 28-year-old can be utilised at either centre back or full back but will face competition from new signings Hawa Cissoko and Maz Pacheco in both positions.
New Arrival: Katerina Svitkova – MF – £25,000
With the arrival of Emily Van Egmond who becomes the premium priced Hammer, we focus on a cheaper option in midfield. Czech international midfielder Katerina Svitkova arrived in East London from Slavia Prague after a more than impressive goal record with the Czech outfit. According to the ever untrusty wiki, she scored 188 goals in 177 appearances over seven years before making her first venture out of her home country ahead of the 2020/21 campaign. The 24-year-old has been handed the number 10 shirt and will hope to make a case early on for a place in the starting xi. With a record that she has, if she can settle quickly, £25,000 could prove a very worthy investment.
Kid on the Block: Ruby Grant – MF – £15,000 – 18 years old
The 18-year-old midfielder made the move across London from Arsenal this summer. Grant originally planned to head off to the USA and UNC before signing for the Hammers. She made her WSL debut as a 16-year-old for the Gunners during the 2018/19 season. During that campaign, she featured five times in all competitions scoring four goals including an FA Cup hattrick against Crawley Wasps. She will wear the number 17 shirt for West Ham this year and will look to break into the side. Priced at only £15,000 due to the uncertainty over her ‘short-term’ contract, Grant could be a steal for managers looking for some fantasy league bargains.