Shelina Zadorsky is relishing the opportunity to be back in competitive action with West Ham United!
The Canada defender spent the end of last season on loan in east London, making ten appearances and having a big impact alongside fellow January signing Katrina Gorry, the Australia international. Zadorsky's stay was made permanent in the summer, and manager Rehanne Skinner has since elected to name her as vice-captain ahead of the upcoming campaign, with Gorry leading the side.
Leadership is something that Zadorsky has been used to previously in her career, having captained Tottenham for a period during her time in north London. It is a position that she is grateful to have, but she believes that the responsibility is something that will not change who she is as a player on and off the pitch.
Zadorsky is about to begin her fifth season in the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL), having joined Tottenham Hotspur at the beginning of the 2020/21 season. With over 60 appearances in the division during that time, the 31-year-old’s experience is likely to be valuable as Skinner’s side go in search of improving last season’s eleventh-placed finish.
Indeed, there has been plenty of change at Chadwell Heath since the 2023/24 season concluded in May. Nine new signings have arrived in east London, and seven of those players could well make their debuts at Old Trafford against Manchester United on Saturday lunchtime.
It is the third time that the women’s team have had the opportunity to play at Old Trafford, and the defender is hoping that her side can overcome the challenge and pick up points on the opening day of the campaign.
I’m really honoured to help lead this team.
I think I’m somebody that naturally likes to lead and try and communicate as much as possible out on the pitch to keep the team connected, whether I’m in a position like vice-captain or not.
I always want what’s best for the team as a whole and everyday I try to do my best and lead by example. Ultimately, I want to be the best teammate that I can be and help the team to some really positive things this season.
Our trip to Australia in pre-season was a positive experience for the whole group.
It was great for us all to be together as a group for an extended period of time, we had a lot of bonding time and we played some good football, particularly in the first game against PSG.
We’ve had a lot of new players join this season, so I think it’s rally important to have had that time away and to integrate them into the group. I think it really connects you into what we’re trying to do that and I hope that will show on the pitch.
The trip overall was really important to us, and I think it set us up nicely for the start of the season.
It’s a big opportunity for us to be playing at Old Trafford for our opening match of the new season.
It’s a great challenge and one that we’re all looking forward to. We’ve been progressing well throughout pre-season and it’s exciting to be nearly getting underway now.
We have aims as a squad to improve on our finishing position last season, to try and keep more clean sheets and create more chances.
I feel really settled here at West Ham.
It was an easy decision for me to come back and sign permanently.
I’m enjoying my football again, which is really nice, and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to produce some good individual performances this season to help the team move forward.
