West Ham United have signed Japan international Saki Kumagai permanently from London City Lionesses on a one-year contract. The 35-year-old World Cup winner becomes Rita Guarino’s tenth addition of a major summer rebuild and will wear the number eight shirt. Neither club has disclosed a transfer fee.
Able to play in central defence or defensive midfield, Kumagai adds leadership, tactical flexibility and extensive title-winning experience to a West Ham squad that has changed considerably ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Transfer snapshot
- Player: Saki Kumagai
- Age: 35
- Positions: Defensive midfielder and centre-back
- From: London City Lionesses
- To: West Ham United
- Transfer: Permanent
- Contract: One year, through the 2026/27 season
- Transfer fee: Undisclosed
- Squad number: 8
- International team: Japan
- International record: More than 170 senior appearances
- Major honours: 2011 World Cup, five Women’s Champions Leagues and nine top-flight league titles
- West Ham context: Rita Guarino’s tenth signing of the summer
West Ham add experience to their rebuild
West Ham have recruited across every area of the pitch this summer, bringing in players including Constance Picaud, Katie Zelem, Laia Codina, Ebony Salmon, Estelle Cascarino and Kelly Gago.
Saki Kumagai gives Guarino a different kind of addition. Rather than a player still accumulating experience at the highest level, West Ham have signed someone who has won major honours in four countries and represented Japan more than 170 times.
Her versatility also gives the head coach several options. Kumagai can play as a composed centre-back, operate at the base of midfield or move between the two roles during a match. That should allow West Ham to alter their structure without necessarily making a substitution.
Guarino highlighted Kumagai’s intelligence, composure and comfort in possession when explaining the signing. The West Ham head coach also believes her leadership will be valuable away from matchdays as a significantly reshaped squad develops its understanding.
Kumagai said she was ready to contribute wherever the team required her.
“I am a versatile player, and wherever the team needs me, I will always give my best,” she said.
A second move within English football
Kumagai first moved to England when London City signed her from Roma for an undisclosed fee in January 2025.
She helped the Lionesses win the WSL2 title during her first months at the club, securing promotion to the top division. Kumagai then featured during London City’s first season in the Women’s Super League before completing her move to West Ham.
London City have confirmed that the transfer is permanent. The one-year agreement will keep Saki Kumagai with the Hammers through the end of the 2026/27 season.
Having already experienced the pace and physical demands of English football, she should require less adaptation than a player arriving directly from another league. She also remains in London, limiting the off-field upheaval normally associated with an international transfer.
Five-time Champions League winner
Kumagai began her senior career with Urawa Reds in Japan in 2009 before moving to Germany with Frankfurt two years later.
She joined OL Lyonnes in 2013 and spent eight seasons with the French club, making more than 200 appearances. During that period, she won seven league titles, six Coupes de France and five UEFA Women’s Champions League trophies.
Her most memorable European contribution came in the 2016 Champions League final, when she converted the decisive penalty in Lyon’s shootout victory over Wolfsburg.
Kumagai later returned to Germany with Bayern Munich, winning the Frauen-Bundesliga in 2022/23, before joining Roma. She helped the Italian club win Serie A in her first season and also gained experience of playing against Guarino’s Inter side.
That career gives West Ham a player accustomed to different tactical systems and football cultures across Japan, Germany, France, Italy and England.
A defining figure for Japan
Kumagai has made more than 170 senior appearances for Japan and is the last active member of the squad that won the 2011 Women’s World Cup.
She scored Japan’s decisive penalty in the final shootout against the United States, completing the country’s first senior world title. Her international honours also include Asian Games gold in 2010 and Women’s Asian Cup victories in 2018 and 2026.
Individually, Kumagai was named Asian Women’s Footballer of the Year in 2019 and received the Women’s Golden Foot award in 2024.
West Ham are not signing her solely for that history. Kumagai remained an important player for Japan during their 2026 Asian Cup success and now arrives with a full season of English top-flight experience behind her.
The challenge will be to translate that experience into greater consistency for a West Ham team entering a new cycle under Guarino. On a one-year contract, Kumagai represents an immediate addition designed to influence the team during the coming season.
Source: West Ham United
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