Wolves complete Denham signing

 

Under-17 Wales international Ania Denham has signed a contract with Wolves Women after getting international clearance.

After previously training with Caernarfon Town Academy, the teenager has joined Dan McNamara’s team.

Denham, a Wales youth international, came off the bench to score her first goal in senior football against Oxford United in pre-season, a stunning curling strike into the net from the edge of the penalty area.

Denham, 16, recently returned from representing her country in a UEFA under-17 friendly development event in Portugal. Denham started and scored against Denmark in the tournament, which also included Portugal, Italy, and Denmark, and he also came on as a substitute in the Italy game.

Manager McNamara revealed more information on hiring the attacking midfielder, saying, “Ania was recommended to me by a good friend of mine, Pete Wilson, who had her at North Wales Academy.” He said she’d indicated an interest in coming to see the environment, and I knew a few groups were interested in her, so we brought her in.

“You can tell she’s got a lot of quality right away.” She’s an incredible skill for a 16-year-old, and we were thrilled when she arrived.

“I know she’s been itching to go into Wolves and start her career. She actually joined the under-21 squad three weeks in.

Because she had such an impact in training and the first few friendlies, I had to make the choice to include her in the first-team squad early in pre-season.

“Everyone saw that she has a great talent and an eye for goal.” The best thing about her is that she’s a joy to work with, which is a tribute to her parents.

“We’ve got to manage expectations because she is only 16 and we’ve got a lot of work to do on and off the pitch, but we’re really looking forward to helping her in the next stages of her journey.”