Michail Antonio signs one-year Watford deal after month-long training spell

Watford have signed former West Ham United striker Michail Antonio on a free transfer, with the 36-year-old agreeing a one-year contract. BBC Sport reported the deal on Friday, September 11, after the Jamaica international spent a month training with Alessio Dionisi's squad. He will wear the number 18 shirt.

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His availability for Saturday's Championship home game against Stoke City remains subject to international clearance. Antonio becomes Watford's 12th signing of the summer, joining a team sitting 12th after six league matches. Dionisi's side have recorded two wins, two draws and two defeats in that opening sequence.

The move follows an extended interruption to Antonio's career. His last senior West Ham appearance came against Leicester City on December 3, 2024, four days before he broke his leg in a car crash. BBC Sport said his most recent competitive outing was in April for Qatar's Al-Sailiya, where he made four appearances.

Before the signing, the Watford Observer reported that Antonio had made a positive impression during training at London Colney, particularly on younger players including Mamadou Doumbia and Kwadwo Baah. In that report, carried by Yahoo Sports on Thursday, Dionisi praised the example Antonio had set after working with him for a month.

The Observer also outlined the competition he would face in attack. Doumbia and Luca Kjerrumgaard had each scored once in the Championship this season, while deadline-day signing Myron Boadu was working towards full fitness. Dionisi generally uses a single striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation, making Antonio a fourth option for that role.

Antonio brings experience from Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest as well as his long West Ham spell. The Observer recalled his seven goals during the club's successful 2023 Europa Conference League campaign. His route back has included rehabilitation with West Ham's under-21s and a proposed Brentford transfer that fell through after a calf tear. Now he has secured another English club, although clearance must come before he can be considered for the Stoke squad.