West Ham United is delighted to announce the signing of Germany U19 international Shekiera Martinez on a three-year contract.
The 22-year-old joins the Club from Frauen-Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, where she has spent the last eight years.
Martinez will immediately head back to her homeland to join SC Freiburg on loan for the 2024/25 campaign, where she will accumulate the necessary points to meet the Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) criteria for international player visas.
A quick and eye-catching young forward, Martinez becomes manager Rehanne Skinner’s second signing of the summer transfer window after the arrival of Poland goalkeeper Kinga Szemik.
Born in Fulda, in the German state of Hesse, Martinez began her career with SV Gläserzell and FV Horas, before joining Frankfurt in 2016.
Despite her tender years, she has played over 110 times for Frankfurt in the top division, scoring 24 goals. Martinez has also featured in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, a competition in which she made five appearances last term.
On the international stage, Martinez has been capped at U15, U16, U17 and U19 level for her country, and featured at the Under-17 and Under-19 European Championships.
Martinez expressed her delight at signing on the dotted line with the Hammers and is looking forward to her spell away with Freiburg before returning to the Club.
“I’m really happy to be joining West Ham United,” Martinez told whufc.com.
“The Women's Super League is an incredible league and I want to challenge myself in England against the best teams.
“I’m a fast player and love to score goals. I hope I can help the team with my experience from playing in Germany and in the Champions League.
“I hope to gain some invaluable experience on loan at SC Freiburg and return to east London ready to hit the ground running.”
Skinner is thrilled to have added another talented player to her attack.
“I’m delighted to be welcoming Shekiera to the Club,” said Skinner. “Shekiera is a young forward that we have been watching for some time. Her creativity, quality on the ball and goal threat are huge strengths to her game. She is also quick, hard-working and technically astute with a real positivity to her attacking play.
“Having already gained a wealth of experience in the national team youth set-up, as well as the Frauen-Bundesliga, we have no doubt Shekiera will adjust well to the WSL when she returns from her loan.
“Shekiera is an exciting prospect for the future and will be a great addition to the squad.”
Everyone at West Ham United would like to welcome Shekiera to east London and wish her every success for her career in Claret and Blue.
