West Ham United have announced the signings of Polish international goalkeeper Kinga Szemik and German U19 international striker Shekiera Martinez.
Both players signed three-year contracts with the club.
Kinga Szemik, 27-year-old goalkeeper, from French Ligue 1 women’s club Stade de Reims.
She is the first rookie of the summer women’s team.
Szemik has had an impressive season with Reims, leading clean sheets in the first division, keeping 9 in 22 matches played.
Szemik began his career at TS Mitech Żywiec before moving to the United States to play college soccer for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros.
She signed her first professional contract with FC Nantes in 2020 before joining Reims in 2022.
Szemik has 17 caps for Poland and was a member of the European Women’s Championship winning team Europe 17 years UEFA 2013.
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“I am delighted to sign for West Ham United,” said Szemik.
“West Ham is one of the biggest clubs in England with a rich history.
The WSL is also the best league in the world, having grown a lot over the years.
I think this is the best place for me to develop as a player and as a person.
» Women’s coach Rehanne Skinner praised Szemik’s qualities: “I am delighted to bring Kinga to the club, especially after such an impressive season in France.
Kinga has real drive and ambition, with a strong work ethic – all qualities I admire in my players.
Shekiera Martinez, 22-year-old striker, joins Frauen-Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt.
Martinez will spend the 2024/25 season on loan at SC Fribourg.
Born in Fulda, Germany, Martinez began his career at SV Gläserzell and FV Horas before joining Frankfurt in 2016.
She has played over 110 times for Frankfurt, scoring 24 goals and playing in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
At international level, Martinez has represented Germany at U15, U16, U17 and U19 levels.
“I am really happy to be joining West Ham United,” said Martinez.
“The Women’s Super League is an incredible competition and I want to test myself in England against the best teams.
I hope to gain valuable experience on loan at SC Freiburg and return to east London ready to hit the ground running.
Manager Rehanne Skinner expressed her excitement at signing Martinez, saying: “Shekiera is a young striker who we have been tracking for some time.
Creativity, quality of the ball and goal-threatening ability are valuable assets to her playing style.
She is also quick, hard-working and technically astute with a real positivity to her attacking play.
