Shekiera Martinez is primed to be integral once again as the club close in on more investment to catch up with their rivals
Guardian writers’ predicted position: 11th (NB: this is not necessarily Sophie Downey’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 9th
Consistency and stability have been core elements of West Ham’s off-season as Rehanne Skinner hopes to build on the progress her side made last campaign. After taking time to find their feet with positive performances not always matching their results, the Hammers went on an unbeaten run that kept them in the picture for fifth place. In the end, they finished just five points off Brighton who claimed that spot.
Their turn in fortunes very much came with the return of Shekiera Martinez from her loan spell at Freiburg. The 24-year-old spearheaded the attacking line, developing a relationship with the influential Viviane Asseyi, who enjoyed one of her best seasons in east London. In 12 appearances, Martinez scored 10 goals and finished just two below joint Golden Boot winners Bunny Shaw and Alessia Russo with a shot conversion rate of 32%.
