Captain Mackenzie Arnold among six West Ham United Women departures
West Ham United have announced that six first-team players will leave the club on June 30, including skipper Mackenzie Arnold and Hawa Cissoko.
The Hammers confirmed on their club website that Arnold, Cissoko, Honoka Hayashi, Risa Shimizu, Emma Snerle and Abbey-Leigh Stringer would all leave the club after their contracts expire on Sunday.
Australia Matildas goalkeeper Arnold had captained the Irons in her fourth and final season in the club, while France defender Cissoko held the vice-captaincy role for two campaigns since 2022.
While Arnold and Cissoko leaving the club will necessitate a new wearer of the captain’s armband next season, there’s also plenty of experience lost in the departures of Hayashi, Shimizu, Snerle and Stringer, with the quartet amassing 183 combined appearances for the Hammers.
Summer clear-out represents fresh start for West Ham Women
Having finished second-bottom of the Women’s Super League last season, albeit nine points clear of relegated Bristol City, improvement is clearly needed throughout the team ahead of a busy summer [Michelle Irons, 19 November 2023].
Losing a total of 356 first-team appearances in one fell swoop on 30 June leaves some significant spaces to fill in the Hammers’ Women’s squad next season, not least the question of who will lead the side.
While Canada defender Sheila Zadorsky could make her loan move from Tottenham permanent, further reinforcements will have to arrive in order for the Irons to avoid looking over their shoulders next season [Emma Sanders, 1 January].
One player who could inherit the captaincy is Kirsty Smith, who is going into her third season at the club and made the second-most appearances in 2023/24 behind Shimizu, Riko Ueki and Viviane Asseyi.
The 30-year-old Scotland international played regularly as a wing-back, scoring the opener in a 2-0 win at Brighton back in October, and as one of the more experienced figures in the squad, could emerge as the player to lead the Hammers forward into the new campaign.
In other West Ham news, the men’s side have made a significant transfer swoop after submitting a bid for a Euro 2024 star which has blown all others out of the water.
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