West Ham confirm appointment of former Juventus boss Rita Guarino as new women's head coach

West Ham United Women have officially announced the appointment of Guarino as the club’s new women’s team head coach. The Italian replaces Rehanne Skinner, who departed the club last week following a difficult first half of the Women’s Super League season.

Guarino has signed an 18-month contract and will remain in charge until the end of the 2026-27 campaign. Her first match at the helm will come after the winter break, when West Ham travel to face Chelsea on Sunday 11 January in the Women’s Super League.

The appointment brings one of the most successful coaches in Italian women’s football to England for the first time. Guarino arrives with an extensive CV that includes spells with Italy’s youth national teams, Inter Milan and, most notably, a hugely successful four-year reign at Juventus.

“I’m so happy to be joining West Ham United,” Guarino told West Ham TV after her appointment was confirmed. “It is a club with a big history and strong values that align with my own.”

The Italian coach explained that discussions with the club’s hierarchy had played a major role in her decision to take the role. “I’ve spoken with the board and I’m really excited by the project here,” she said. “There is a lot of talent and experience in the team, and I want to support the girls to develop as individuals but also as a collective.”

Guarino also outlined her footballing philosophy and the standards she expects to implement. “I want to build a team that is organised, aggressive with the ball and that tries to recognise and use space,” she added. “The mentality of the team – the togetherness and hard work – is the most important thing. I’m proud to be here and I’m looking forward to the chapter ahead in the best league in the world.”

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Guarino’s reputation has been built on sustained success at the highest level of the women’s game in Italy. Her coaching career began within the Italian Football Federation, where she worked her way through the youth ranks before taking charge of Italy’s Under-17 side and leading them to a third-place finish at the Women’s U17 World Cup.

Her defining spell came with Juventus, where she was appointed head coach ahead of the club’s first-ever season in women’s football in 2017. Over four seasons in Turin, Guarino led Le Bianconere to an extraordinary run of dominance, winning four consecutive Serie A titles, two Supercoppa Italiana trophies and one Coppa Italia.

That sustained excellence cemented her status as one of Italy’s most respected figures in the women’s game. A prolific striker in her playing days, Guarino won 99 caps for the Italian national team and her technical approach to coaching has been widely praised by former players, including former Lionesses star Eni Aluko, who previously called Guarino as “one of the best technical coaches I have had in my career“.

Guarino now faces an immediate challenge in lifting West Ham away from the lower reaches of the Women’s Super League table. The Hammers have struggled for consistency this season and currently sit just above the relegation play-off places at the halfway stage of the campaign.

Her first assignment will be a daunting one, with a trip to reigning champions Chelsea awaiting when the league resumes in January. Guarino will be assisted by Steve Kirby, who remains part of the coaching staff, with further announcements on her backroom team expected in due course.

For West Ham, the hope is that Guarino’s experience, winning mentality and tactical clarity can stabilise the side in the short term and lay the foundations for long-term progress in the WSL.