West Ham Women Appoint Rita Guarino as Head Coach

West Ham United Women have appointed Italian coach Rita Guarino as their new head coach, replacing Rehanne Skinner, who was sacked last Thursday amid the team's dismal start to the Women's Super League season. The 54-year-old Guarino, a former Italy international striker, takes over with West Ham sitting second from bottom in the table after earning just five points from 11 matches, including one win and two draws.

The club acted swiftly following Skinner's dismissal, which came after two and a half years in charge. West Ham currently hold a two-point advantage over bottom-placed Liverpool, with the last-placed team facing a relegation playoff at the end of the season. Officials cited the need for a change to stabilize the squad and avoid the drop from the top flight.

Guarino arrives with a strong coaching pedigree from Italy. She led Juventus Women to four consecutive Serie A Femminile titles between 2017 and 2021, achieving a 90.2 percent win rate in league play and securing additional honors including two Supercoppa titles and one Coppa Italia. Her most recent role was at Inter Milan, where she managed from 2021 until a mutual contract termination in June 2024 after a season...