West Ham United have secured the loan signing of England international Rachel Daly from Houston Dash.
Daly will join on a temporary deal which is till the end of the calendar year and becomes the second loan signing in recent weeks, joining Emily van Egmond from Orlando Pride.
She is widely regarded as a versatile player who can play full-back, on the wing and in attack. The England international becomes the Iron’s eighth summer signing ahead of the 2020/21 Barclays FA Women’s Super League campaign, with her new side playing their opening match against Tottenham Hotspur at the Hive stadium.
Background
She was born in Harrogate and spent her early years with Leeds United, helping the side to win the FA Women’s Premier League Cup in 2010. Daly also spent a season with Lincoln Ladies.
The next move for Daly was to join St John’s University Red Strom, where she broke records for both goals scored (50) and points earned (111) during her three-year spell. Daly also became the program’s first ever player to be named a NSCAA All-American, and was selected in the first team.
She later joined Houston Dash in 2016 and made an instant impact by scoring and providing an assist on her debut, in a 3-1 win over Chicago Red Stars. The versatile Lioness ended her first season with four assists and four goals.
Daly would surpass her goalscoring tally in the 2017 campaign, netting five times in 23 outings. She ended up having a great 2018 season, scoring ten goals. She was recognised for her performances during the 2018 campaign, which has led to her being named Houston Dash’s MVP and in the NWSL Season XI.
During the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, Daly helped her side win their first trophy with a 2-0 win over Chicago Red Stars in the final. The 28-year-old was named the tournament MVP - scoring in three occasions as well as providing a one assist in five matches.
International pedigree
For the Lionesses, Daly has featured 35 times, scoring three goals – she also scored on her England debut against Serbia in June 2016.
She was also part of Phil Neville’s squad for the 2018 SheBelieves Cup, which England ended up losing in the final, before winning the competition the following year.