Japanese defender Risa Shimizu is the latest addition to Paul Konchesky's new-look West Ham United.
The 26 year-old joins from Verdy Beleza of Tokyo on a two-year contract.Having worked her way up through the youth ranks with Beleza, Shimizu went on to captain the first team for two seasons, before now embarking on the next stage of her career in the WSL.
The Japanese international is the eleventh recruit to join the Irons since previous manager Oli Harder departed at the start of the summer.
The 53 times-capped full back is a good friend of Hammers midfielder Yui Hasegawa, having played with her compatriot at both club level and on the international stage as well. And the impressive stopper is looking forward to life in east London.
“I'm excited to be joining West Ham United,” said the Hammers' new No3. “This is the first time that I've been to England. My English isn't that good so learning more of the language will be a challenge for me. But this is something I'll work on, as well as playing to the best of my ability on the football pitch.
“I wanted to make the move overseas and join a club in one of the top divisions and so, when I heard of West Ham's interest, I decided it was time to take that step. I took up the offer straight away as I believe West Ham is the perfect fit for me.
“As a player, I would describe myself as very athletic - I like to make plenty of overlapping runs from defence and I want to provide some extra flair to the team. I want to help this team achieve great things.
“I'm also looking forward to being back with Yui [Hasegawa]. I never thought I would have the opportunity to play with her in England, so it's exciting to be able to do that. Together, we want to represent Japanese football and do really well for West Ham."
Konchesky himself is looking forward to seeing just what Shimizu can bring to the squad, saying: “We are very pleased to welcome Risa to West Ham United.
“Risa is a player with vast international experience. She was captain of her previous team in Japan and those leadership qualities will be hugely valuable to this group.
“Risa will give us a different option in defence and her technicality and work ethic is something that I really admire. I'm excited to see Risa excel at our football club.”
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