Watford Signs Prolific Striker Saoirse Noonan on Free Transfer

Watford have moved decisively in the market, securing the signing of former Celtic forward Saoirse Noonan on a free transfer as they continue to reshape their attacking options.

The club confirmed the deal on their official website, bringing in a player whose numbers in Scotland demand attention. Noonan, 27, arrives after her contract with Celtic expired earlier this summer, ending a ruthless two-year spell in Glasgow.

A goal machine from Glasgow

At Celtic, Noonan was far more than a useful forward. She was the focal point.

Across 74 appearances for The Ghirls, she scored a remarkable 57 goals, finishing as the club’s top scorer in back-to-back seasons. Defenders in Scotland saw the same pattern repeat itself: Noonan finding space, finding angles, and finding the net. Five hat-tricks in two campaigns underline just how often she dominated games on her own terms.

Her time at Celtic also brought silverware. Noonan lifted the Scottish Gas Women’s Scottish Cup last season and tested herself on the European stage in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, adding big-game experience to an already sharp attacking instinct.

A career built on steady climbs

Noonan’s route to Watford has been anything but rushed. She first emerged with Cork City in the SSE Airtricity League Women’s Premier Division, then stepped up to Shelbourne, where she enjoyed two separate spells and built her reputation as a consistent scorer.

She already knows English football, too. A two-year stint with Durham in the Barclays WSL2 gave her a first taste of the English game’s intensity and physical demands, experience that should ease her transition into life at Watford.

On the international stage, Noonan has represented the Republic of Ireland 14 times, scoring twice. Those caps add another layer of pedigree to a signing that carries both proven output and room for further growth.

Statement signing in a busy window

Noonan becomes Watford’s fourth signing of the summer, another piece in a recruitment drive clearly aimed at adding quality rather than just depth. Her record suggests she will not arrive quietly. She arrives as a forward used to carrying responsibility, used to scoring in bunches, and used to deciding matches.

Now the question is simple: how quickly can Watford build a side to match the ambitions of their new No. 9?