1. She is a winner with her former club FC Zürich
Piubel has played in Switzerland’s largest City since the age of 13, when she left her hometown Club FC Fislisbach, located 30 minutes’ drive outside of Zürich
She made her debut for the team in 2016 and her influence on the team has continued to grow since. Her real breakthrough season came in 2019/20, where she made 16 appearances and netted her first senior goal.
Piubel started to find the net consistently from then on, scoring six times in both the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns, before hitting a career-high of 17 from 32 appearances in 2022/23.
She played a small part in helping FC Zürich to their Swiss Women’s Super League triumphs in 2018 and 2019 and had become a key player in the team by the time they lifted the trophy again in 2022 and 2023.
She also helped the side to Swiss Women’s Cup wins in 2018, 2019 and 2022. She will be hoping to bring some of that winning mentality to east London.
2. She has picked up a big individual accolade too!
Piubel arrives in east London off the back of another impressive season for her Club. The midfielder played 26 matches across the 2023/24 campaign, finding the net six times as Zürich finished the season in second place, a single point behind winners Servette FC Chênois.
The midfielder was awarded the AXA Women’s Super League Player award for her performances across the calendar year, which included helping her Club to the 2022/23 title. She had previously been nominated for the award for two consecutive years in 2021 and 2022.
3. She has represented her country on the big stage
Like many of West Ham United women’s team’s summer signings, Piubel took to the field at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
She started all four of Switzerland’s matches at the competition and scored in their only victory as they came out on top 2-0 against the Philippines in their opening group stage fixture.
Speaking about the experience of playing in a major tournament, Piubel is hoping that it will help her when making the step up into playing regular WSL football with the Hammers.
“This league of course is a new challenge for me, but I have already played at the highest level with my country at the World Cup and in the Champions League with Zürich,” she explained.
"Being at the World Cup in the summer of 2023 was an amazing experience for me. You learn to improve and make decisions under high pressure, adapt to new situations and what it takes to succeed as a team.
"Now, I want to bring all the skills that I have learnt so far in my career to West Ham."
4. A former Hammer who has played alongside her has high hopes for her in Claret and Blue
Former West Ham United women's team defender Laura Vetterlein believes that Puibel has all the qualities to be a hit in east London.
The now retired defender played in Claret and Blue between 2019 and 2021, featuring over 30 times for the Club. After leaving West Ham, Vetterlein signed with FC Zürich, where she would play alongside Puibel for two seasons before retiring in May 2023.
Vetterlein now holds the position of Assistant Manager at FC Basel Women, and when speaking exclusively to whufc.com, she explained why she believes that her former teammate could really shine in east London once she has settled in to her new life in England.
"When I first joined FC Zürich back in 2021, Seraina was one of the players that stood out immediately because of her pace and versatility in the offence. You could tell even then when she was young that she was going to have a big impact and I knew that she would eventually get the opportunity to test herself outside of the Swiss league.
"I'm really happy that she is making the next step and joining West Ham. Knowing the Club like I do, it's one big family, and I think that will really help her to settle in and hit the ground running once she's found her feet.
"She'll need time in the beginning, of course - but I think she will be well suited to the division because of the pace and overall physicality that she has," Vetterlain said.
Look out for the full interview with Vetterlein on whufc.com later this week!
5. Football pedigree is in her blood
Piubel’s father has been a big influence on her footballing career. Urs Meier played as a defender during the 80s and early 90s for Schaffhausen, Bellinzona and Grasshoppers before making the move into coaching in 1993 as player-assistant manager.
From there, Meier would go on to manage a number of smaller clubs and would eventually join FC Zürich as their U21s coach after a three-year spell as assistant manager for the Liechtenstein national team.
In 2012, Meier would take the first-team manager position, and would clinch silverware in 2014 when his side won the Swiss Cup.
For Piubel, FC Zürich has been engrained in her life from a young age, and she would regularly be around the training ground when her father was taking training.
