Michail Antonio Joins Watford on Free Transfer
Michail Antonio has returned to English football, with Watford snapping up the former West Ham United forward on a free transfer.
The 36-year-old has signed a one-year deal at Vicarage Road after a month training under Alessio Dionisi, and will wear the number 18 shirt.
From broken leg to fresh start
Antonio’s last senior outing for West Ham came in their 3-1 defeat at Leicester City on 3 December 2024. Four days later his season – and seemingly his Hammers career – was shattered when he suffered a broken leg in a car crash.
West Ham released him in June 2025, ending a decade-long spell in east London. He went back to the club to rebuild his fitness, even turning out twice for their under-21s in Premier League 2 as he fought to extend his career.
A brief stint in Qatar followed. Antonio played four times for Al-Sailiya, his most recent competitive appearance coming in April, before returning to England to search for another opportunity.
Watford have now given him that stage.
“Watford is a big club and hopefully I can come in and bring success and help wherever I can,” Antonio told the club’s website.
Deals that slipped away
The journey to Hertfordshire has not been straightforward. Antonio trained with Leicester City last December as he edged back towards full sharpness. He then came close to joining Brentford, only for cruel timing to intervene: a torn calf muscle the day before he was due to sign for the Bees killed the move.
Instead of the Premier League, it is the Championship that awaits the Jamaican international, whose deal is subject to international clearance. If the paperwork lands in time, he could be involved as early as Saturday, when Stoke City visit Vicarage Road.
A seasoned EFL campaigner returns
For Watford, this is their 12th signing of a busy summer and one that carries a sense of familiarity for the division. Long before West Ham, Antonio carved out his name in the EFL with spells at Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest, building the powerful, direct style that later lit up the Premier League.
Now he drops back into a league he knows well, joining a side that has started steadily under Dionisi. Watford sit 12th after six games, with two wins, two draws and two defeats.
A club looking for an edge. A forward with a point to prove. If Antonio’s body holds up, the Championship may not have seen the last of his trademark surges and thunderous finishes.
