Watford sign Michail Antonio on one-year deal pending international clearance

Watford have signed former West Ham United forward Michail Antonio on a free transfer, with the Jamaica international agreeing a one-year contract. BBC Sport reported that the 36-year-old had spent the past month training with Alessio Dionisi's squad before the deal was announced. He becomes the club's 12th signing of the summer and will wear number 18 at Vicarage Road.

Watch the highlights:

The move remains subject to international clearance. That clearance would allow Antonio to be included in the squad for Saturday's Championship home match against Stoke City, but his involvement has not been confirmed. In comments to Watford's website reported by the BBC, Antonio expressed his hope of contributing to the club's success and helping wherever he could.

Antonio most recently played for Al-Sailiya in Qatar, making four appearances for the club, with his last outing coming in April. His arrival at Watford follows that spell and the month spent working with the Hornets. The team sit 12th in the Championship after six matches under Dionisi, having recorded two wins, two draws and two defeats.

The striker's final senior appearance for West Ham came in a 3-1 defeat against Leicester City on 3 December 2024. Four days later, he suffered a broken leg in a car crash. West Ham released him in June 2025 after a decade at the club, although he subsequently returned as part of his rehabilitation and made two appearances for their under-21 side in Premier League 2.

His route back also included training with Leicester last December. BBC Sport reported that Antonio had been close to joining Brentford, but a torn calf muscle sustained the day before he was due to sign prevented that transfer from going ahead. The Watford agreement now gives him a new club in English football after those earlier attempts to secure a move.

Antonio brings previous experience of the English Football League from spells with Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest before his September 2015 transfer to West Ham. His return to that competition is now agreed on a one-year basis, with international clearance still required before he can join Watford's matchday plans.