A third Red Flame in the women’s Premier League: Amber Tysiak leaves league leader OHL for English adventure

The 22-year-old defender transferred from Genk in April 2020 and quickly became a permanent fixture in the heart of the Leuven defense. She also went through all national youth series and made her debut with the Red Flames on February 18, 2021. Tysiak now has 20 caps and five goals. She was also part of the squad that reached the quarter-finals at the European Championships in England last summer.

So now it’s going to work there, with the number 5 of the Women’s Super League in England, the equivalent of the Premier League. Two Red Flames are currently working there with Justine Vanhaevermaet (Reading) and Yana Daniels (Liverpool).

“For several years now, we have been working in a specific structure with our women’s activities and this is bearing fruit”, says Peter Willems, CEO of OH Leuven. “We see the level of our teams in the competition improve every year and the number of internationals that we deliver as a club is also steadily increasing. One of our players is now making the step to one of the best, if not the best women’s league in the world. For us, this is a signal that the path we have taken is the right one and serves as an example for all the young talent who develops further with us. We make players better and ready to get the best out of their careers.”

Tysiak can play in different positions: central back, on the flank or in front of the defense. As a result, she was quickly portrayed as the ‘Vincent Kompany’ of Belgian women’s football. It was expected that she would take the step abroad last summer, but her European Championship was less good than expected. During the play-offs for the World Cup, she picked up a red card and caused a penalty in the eventual loss against Portugal.

“I am delighted to be signing for West Ham United,” Tysiak said in a first reaction on the Hammers’ website. “This is a wonderful club with a rich history. I’ve done a bit of research and I know West Ham is traditionally a hard working club. I have seen the team play a few times now and see a group of players who work well together to achieve their goal.”