For any young player, signing a professional contract is a day that will never be forgotten. That’s exactly how West Ham United Women’s latest signing, Anouk Denton feels about signing on the dotted line.
The 19-year-old defender re-joins the Hammers having had a brief loan spell at the end of the 2020/21 season in east London. After a spell in the United States of America with the University of Louisville, Denton is now ready to return and test herself in the Barclays Women’s Super League once again.
“It feels really nice to be back at West Ham United,” she smiled. “It’s very similar to when I left, but you can also see how much the Club has developed during the time that I have been away.
“I think you can see the same with the league too, the WSL is continuing to evolve and develop, which was a big factor in why I wanted to come back to England.
“There’s a lot of familiar faces and it’s nice to have that when you come back into the environment. A lot of things have changed here, but it’s great to have some of that familiarity. Everyone who wasn’t here before has been so welcoming, and I’m really excited to be working with this group of players.”
Denton decided to take the plunge and move across the pond after leaving Arsenal, signing with the Cardinals, where she would play a total of 28 matches across two season and playing a key role in helping the team finish in 10th place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
And she believes that the experience of living by herself in a foreign country has had a massive benefit on her personally and will only be a positive factor in her development.
“I loved me experience in America, I think it was really useful for my development and I’m so pleased that I did it – but my aim has always been to come back and play in the WSL because that’s always been my dream.
Buy your tickets and watch West Ham United Women in their next home match!
“I think I’m definitely a lot more athletic and I’ve grown physically – I’m much stronger and quicker than I was when I was here at 17-year-old. Playing matches out in the States has helped with that.
“It’ll help me with transition back into the WSL because the league is getting quicker and stronger each year.
“Off the pitch, moving away from home and to a different country means that I’ve experienced the challenges of doing so, and I think that’s helped me build my character and made me more independent, but also more ready to make the step up back into the WSL now, as a better, more complete player than I was when I was here in 2021.”
Denton played four time in Claret & Blue under former manager, Olli Harder, scoring her first senior goal against Manchester City in the fifth round of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup.
Paul Konchesky was helping out on the training pitch during that time, and the defender, who sees her best position as a left-back is delighted to be back working with the former Hammer.
“I’m really looking forward to working with Paul again. I really enjoyed working with him when I was here previously because he played in my position, so he was able to pass on a lot of knowledge that he had collected from his playing days. I’m excited to now have him as the manager, and I’m really pleased to be working under him.
“The professionalism and level of coaching of the place is really what drew me to coming back here. The standard of training is another factor, I know that this is a place where I can develop well and ultimately that’s what I want to do. I want to become a better footballer whilst also helping the team compete across all of the different competitions.”
It’s the first professional contract of Denton’s young career, with the defender signing a contract that will keep her at Chigwell Construction Stadium until the summer of 2025.
It’s a landmark moment for the youngster, who has dreamt of this moment since first aspiring to play the beautiful game.
“Since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamt of playing professionally, so it’s amazing to be able to do that now.
“I’m just imagining what my five-year-old self would say if I would be able to tell them that I’ve been able to achieve my dream.”
With the Hammers now entering a busy run of matches, which will see them play across three different competitions in the next week, Denton is hoping that she can contribute right away and help the team continue to push on all fronts.
“The team have done really well in the first half of the season, you can see that we’re competing against the top sides and we’re in a really good position at the moment.
“You can tell in training that everyone has really high aspirations and that the team want to finish as high as we can. It’s a really good group that are here and I’m excited for what’s to come," she concluded.
After a long period on the road, West Ham United Women will be back at Chigwell Construction Stadium on Sunday 5 February, when they welcome Arsenal to east London.
Tickets are available for a mouthwatering London derby, and can be purchased by clicking on the graphic below!
