U.S. women’s national team midfielder Kristie Mewis is officially headed to East London to play for West Ham. 

Mewis and Gotham FC mutually agreed to part ways on Dec. 22, per a statement from the NWSL club.

“Gotham has been the most rewarding community to be a part of for the last two years and will always hold a special place in my heart,” Mewis said in the press release. “I’m full of gratitude knowing the future is bright and I was able to be part of it. And most importantly, I’ll never forget our first championship, together.”

Mewis joined Gotham in 2021 and she appeared in 39 games for the team, netting four goals in her two seasons. 

Mewis’ move comes after her engagement to Chelsea star Sam Kerr. In the USWNT’s new Netflix documentary, “Under Pressure,” Mewis and Kerr discussed their long-distance relationship and how the wished they lived closer to each other. Now, with both stars in London, they can.

West Ham released a statement pertaining to Mewis’ signing on Dec. 22. Mewis stated it was a “dream come true” for her to play in the Women’s Super League. 

“When I visited London for the first time, I went to my first football match at Upton Park. The culture and energy of West Ham captivated me straight away and nothing has ever lived up to that moment – it was one of the happiest days of my life,” Mewis said in the release. 

“It feels like I have come full circle from that moment and it’s incredible to now be officially part of the West Ham family. I will work hard, try to lead by example and give everything for this badge.”

Kristie Mewis is headed to England.

As first reported by Meg Linehan and Charlotte Harpur of The Athletic, Mewis will join Women’s Super League club West Ham when the January transfer window opens. The move for the 32-year-old U.S. women’s national team midfielder is set to be officially announced later this week.

Mewis has spent most of her career in the NWSL, including time with FC Kansas City, the Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars and Houston Dash before she landed at Gotham FC in 2022. She won an NWSL title with the club in 2023.

This will be her second stint in Europe, as she spent a year on loan at Bayern Munich in 2015-16. She’s also made 53 international appearances with the USWNT, including making her first World Cup roster this summer.

Mewis’ move from the NWSL to the WSL frees up roster space for Gotham, and it also moves her to London, where her fiancée Sam Kerr plays for Chelsea. Mewis has spoken previously about not wanting to do long distance with Kerr, including in the new USWNT documentary “Under Pressure.” West Ham sit second from the bottom in the WSL table in the 2023-24 season.

A number of USWNT stars have been linked to Gotham FC in free agency, including midfielders Rose Lavelle, Emily Sonnett and Crystal Dunn and defender Tierna Davidson.

It’s official—the January transfer window for the FAWSL is now closed. To say it’s been a busy window would be an understatement. To catch up on all the signings, be sure to check out our roundups from week one, week two, and week three. Below, we’ll be looking at all the last minute deals that happened before the transfer window closed.

 

MANCHESTER UNITED SIGNS MARIA THORISDOTTIR

United decided to leave their transfer business until late in the window by signing Maria Thorisdottir from Chelsea only earlier in the week. Thorisdottir had a contract with Chelsea until the summer of 2021, so it’s clear that the club wanted to cash in on the player on the assumption that she’d be leaving for free in a few months.

It’s rare to see top clubs sign players from their direct rivals. Chelsea and Manchester United are not just two of the top teams in the league—they’re currently tied atop the standings, with both of them in the hunt for a title.

Thorisdottir is a fantastic player, but with the squad that Chelsea had, she was not getting much playing time. This season, she’s only played in two league matches (and five in all competitions). Comparing that to her twenty-four appearances in her first season at Chelsea, it’s clear that she’s fallen down the depth chart.

Make no mistake though, Thorisdottir is still an impressive defender—she’s quick, aggressive, and is excellent with the ball at her feet, making it easy for her to play out from the back. She’s also coming to United with experience playing in the league (and championship experience as well, having won five trophies during her time at Chelsea), and a lot of international experience with Norway.

As a defender, Maria Thorisdottir primarily plays as a right-back in a back four, but she has the capabilities of also playing as right centre-back in a back three. Her flexibility will give Manchester United manager Casey Stoney options going forward.

 

WEST HAM UNITED SIGNS DAGNÝ BRYNJARSDÓTTIR

In London, meanwhile, West Ham opted to sign midfielder Dagný Brynjarsdóttir from Icelandic club Selfoss. Before she returned to her home country of Iceland, Brynjarsdóttir played for Bayern Munich in the Frauen-Bundesliga in 2015 and for the Portland Thorns in the NWSL from 2016-2019, winning the NWSL Championship in her second year at the club.

The signing of Brynjarsdóttir likely stems from the club’s need to replace Cho So-hyun, who is now on loan at Tottenham Hotspur until the end of June. While Cho is only on loan at Tottenham for now, the Spurs have the option to make the loan permanent at the end of the season.

Both Cho and Brynjarsdóttir are relatively similar players—both play quite deep as midfielders, and they are usually situated right in front of the defensive line. However, they aren’t pure defensive midfielders; instead, they actively act as playmakers for their sides.

West Ham fans should also know that Brynjarsdóttir has been a fan of the club since she was a young girl, and she is essentially one of their own. It’ll be interesting to see how Brynjarsdóttir adapts to her first spell in England, and where she can help take West Ham alongside their new coach, Olli Harder.

 

TRANSFERS HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITY THAN USUAL

With about four months left in the season, it remains to be seen how all of these signings will make an impact on their new teams. But with depth becoming an issue as clubs try to pack their schedules with make-up games, there will be opportunities for these players to step in and leave a mark on the ongoing title race.

The FAWSL may be on hold for a couple of weeks while players are away on international duty, but that doesn’t mean clubs have been shy about trying to improve before the second half of the season begins. Two have made major managerial decisions that are sure to have an impact on how the rest of the year unfolds.

West Ham United announced early on November 19th that head coach Matt Beard would be leaving the club, a decision that has been publicly disclosed as mutual.

Later that day, Tottenham Hotspur announced that co-managers Karen Hills and Juan Amoros have been released of their duties with immediate effect.

Beard has had an abundance of FAWSL experience, to say the least. He was Chelsea’s very first manager when they became a part of the FAWSL back in 2011, having been their manager for a year prior when the club was a part of the FA Premier League National Division. Once the team joined the FAWSL, Beard was a great success both in the league and in the cup competitions. He led Chelsea to its first-ever FA Cup Final in 2012, but after losing the final to Birmingham, he resigned.

A month later, he joined his next FAWSL team — Liverpool. Beard was at the helm of the club when massive changes were made to the team both on the pitch (big, high-profile signings were made after the club finished bottom of the table), and off the pitch (Liverpool became the first English club to offer all their players full-time, professional contracts). These changes lead to Liverpool’s first FAWSL title in 2013, and a second in 2014.

Beard left Liverpool in 2015, and after a short stint with the now-defunct NWSL team the Boston Breakers and a break from managing, Beard returned to the FAWSL to manage West Ham in 2018. Beard managed another FA Cup final appearance with his new club back in 2019. In his two full seasons at the club, Beard managed to finish in 7th and 8th place respectively.

However this season, West Ham are in 9th place and are four points behind 8th place Brighton & Hove Albion.

Beard is a fantastic coach — there is no doubt about it. But it has not seemed to be clicking for him at West Ham as of late. The team is massively underperforming and has not been consistent in their performances since at least the beginning of 2020.

West Ham have not announced a replacement yet, and it’ll be interesting to see who they bring in. Beard is one of the biggest names in women’s football, and the club will be hoping to bring in someone with a similar pedigree who can re-energize the squad. As of right now, goalkeeping coach Billy Steward and first-team coach Paul McHugh will act as interim coaches until a permanent replacement is announced.

Karen Hills has been at Tottenham Hotspur for over a decade, taking over as head coach in 2009. Juan Amoros joined the club in 2011 as co-head coach. The two were pivotal in bringing the club up from the amateur leagues to the FAWSL, having won the Championship play-offs in the 2016/17 season, and securing a promotion spot to the FAWSL in 2019. They also won the FA Women’s National League Cup back to back in 2016 and 2017.

Last season, during their first year in the FAWSL, Tottenham Hotspur finished in 7th place — a strong finish for a newly-promoted side. However, this season, Tottenham have yet to win a match in the league as they currently sit in 11th place with three points. Hills and Amoros’ sacking makes a lot of sense — the Spurs have a real chance of being relegated this season, and something must change if they are to avoid dropping down.

Unlike West Ham, the Spurs have a replacement lined up. They announced later on Thursday that Rehanne Skinner will take charge at the club on a contract through the 2022/2023 season.

Skinner will leave her role as England’s assistant coach, where she worked alongside Phil Neville starting in September of this year. Prior to that, she was head coach of England’s U21 team. She also previously worked with Tottenham’s North London rivals Arsenal, where she was part of the coaching staff that won six trophies, including two FAWSL titles.

It is clear that Tottenham have been working on this appointment for a while, with it being announced mere hours after the sacking of the previous managers. It’s no question that Amoros and especially Hills have cemented themselves in Tottenham’s legacy book, but it’s also clear that a fresh change is needed at the club if they want to build on last year’s 7th place finish and avoid relegation.