Michail Antonio Joins Watford on Free Transfer

Michail Antonio has found his next chapter. Watford have confirmed the signing of the former West Ham United forward on a free transfer, handing the 36-year-old a one-year deal as Alessio Dionisi continues his rebuild at Vicarage Road.

A comeback after a brutal year

Antonio’s last senior outing for West Ham came in a 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.

Released in June 2025 after a decade in east London, Antonio went back to West Ham to complete his rehabilitation, even turning out twice for the under-21s in Premier League 2 to regain sharpness. The road back was anything but smooth.

He trained with Leicester City last December and was on the verge of signing for Brentford, only for a torn calf muscle on the eve of the move to kill the deal. The next stop was Qatar: four appearances for Al-Sailiya, his last competitive minutes coming in April.

Now, it is Watford who are betting that the veteran still has one more surge left in those legs.

Watford roll the dice

Antonio has been working with Dionisi’s squad for the past month and has done enough to convince the club to offer him a contract. He becomes Watford’s 12th signing of the summer and will wear the number 18 shirt.

“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.

The deal for the Jamaica international is subject to international clearance, which the Hornets hope will arrive in time for him to be involved in Saturday’s Championship home game against Stoke City.

Experience for a team in transition

Antonio’s CV is steeped in English football. Before joining West Ham in September 2015, he climbed through the EFL with spells at Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest, building the direct, relentless style that made him a cult figure in claret and blue.

Watford sit 12th in the Championship after six games under Dionisi, their record perfectly balanced: two wins, two draws, two defeats. It is a side still forming an identity, still searching for a cutting edge.

Antonio, battle-hardened and hungry after a year of setbacks, walks into a squad that needs exactly that. The question now is simple: how much can he still give, and how quickly can he change the mood at Vicarage Road?