West Ham Women have bolstered their forward line, following the arrival of Swiss international Leila Wandeler on a three year deal. The 19 year old is the Hammers fourth signing of the summer.

Wandeler makes the move to East London from French side OL Lyonnes, where she joined in 2023 and scored once in three appearances. Despite still being a teenager, Wandeler, who won her first cap for her nation back in June, featured three times for Switzerland in this summer’s Women’s Euros on home soil, one of which came against Spain in the quarter finals.

The young forward admitted that moving to England and the WSL is a big step in her career, however, the Swiss international is excited for what the future holds in claret and blue.

“This is a big moment for me so early on in my career – to be moving to London, which is my favourite city in the world, and to play in the best league against teams with great quality.” said the 19 year old to the club’s Official Website.

In conversations with manager Rehanne Skinner, the Hammers boss assured Wandeler that she would have no problems settling in at the club, something that gave the teenager extra confidence about her decision: “When I first spoke with Rehanne, she said that I will feel at home straight away. I can already see West Ham as one big family and I’m excited to be part of it.”

Wandeler is eager to continue developing her game at West Ham. The forward is excited at what she can learn from her new teammates and suggested seeing the progress of other young players at the club added to the appeal of the move. “I’ve seen the development of the young players at the Club and they shine. I’m looking forward to learning from the players around me and giving everything to this team.”

Manager Rehanne Skinner is clearly impressed with the profile of the Hammers latest signing, praising her attitude as well as her potential. “Leila is an exciting young player with a lot of potential. She has a great attitude and impressive maturity for a player of such a young age.” said Skinner.

Looking ahead to the upcoming season, Skinner is full of optimism about the impact Wandeler can make on the pitch for the Hammers as well as her long term future at the club. “Leila plays on the front foot and I think her creativity and technical ability will add huge value to our squad. I’m looking forward to supporting Leila with her development moving forwards.”