Michail Antonio Joins Watford on Free Transfer

Michail Antonio has found his next chapter – and it comes in yellow.

Watford have signed the former West Ham United striker on a free transfer, handing the 36-year-old a one-year deal after a month training under Alessio Dionisi at Vicarage Road. He will wear the number 18 shirt and becomes the club’s 12th signing of a busy summer.

“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.

From broken leg to fresh start

Antonio’s long West Ham story appeared to end in brutal fashion. His final senior appearance for the Hammers came in a 3-1 defeat at Leicester City on 3 December 2024. Four days later he suffered a broken leg in a car crash, a serious setback for a player whose game has always relied on power and explosiveness.

West Ham released him in June 2025, drawing a line under a decade in east London. He went back there to rebuild, featuring twice for the club’s under-21s in Premier League 2 as part of his rehabilitation.

The route back to regular football has been anything but smooth. Antonio trained with Leicester City last December and was on the brink of a move to Brentford, only for a torn calf muscle on the eve of signing to kill the deal.

He then headed to Qatar, joining Al-Sailiya. His spell there was short: four appearances, the last of them in April.

Now comes the Championship and a familiar stage in English football.

Back to the EFL grind

Long before he became a cult figure at West Ham, Antonio carved out his reputation in the EFL. Spells with Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest hardened him for the scrap of second-tier football, and Watford are banking on that know-how as much as his name.

The Hornets sit 12th in the Championship after six games under Dionisi, with a perfectly even record: two wins, two draws, two defeats. It is a platform, not a statement. A side still taking shape, now with another experienced piece added.

If international clearance comes through in time, Antonio could be in the squad for Saturday’s home game against Stoke City. Watford want his presence in the box, his nous in tight games, his voice in a dressing room that has seen heavy turnover.

Twelve signings, a new head coach, a seasoned Premier League forward hungry to prove there is more left in the legs after a broken one. Watford’s rebuild is no longer theoretical. It is on the pitch now, and Antonio’s next touch in English football will say plenty about where this project is heading.