Watford have signed former West Ham United striker Michail Antonio on a free transfer. The 36-year-old Jamaican international made his final appearance for West Ham in a 3-1 loss to Leicester City on 3 December 2024, just days before suffering a broken leg in a car accident. Antonio has since made four appearances for Qatari club Al-Sailiya, most recently in April. He has been training with Watford for the past month and has signed a one-year contract with the club. "Watford is a big club, and hopefully I can come in and bring success and help wherever I can," Antonio said in a statement on the club's website. The transfer is pending international clearance, which would allow Antonio to be eligible for Watford's upcoming Championship match against Stoke City this Saturday. Antonio was released by West Ham in June 2025 after a 10-year stint with the club. He briefly returned to West Ham as part of his recovery from the injury and played two games for the under-21 side in Premier League 2. Earlier in 2024, he trained with Leicester City and was close to joining Brentford, but a torn calf muscle the day before the proposed transfer scuppered the deal. Antonio began his professional career in the English Football League (EFL) with clubs such as Reading, Sheffield Wednesday, and Nottingham Forest before moving to West Ham in September 2015. He will now wear the number 18 shirt at Watford’s Vicarage Road stadium. This makes Antonio Watford’s 12th signing of the summer transfer window. Watford currently sit 12th in the Championship table after winning two, drawing two, and losing two of their first six matches under manager Alessio Dionisi. The club is looking to strengthen its squad ahead of the 2025 season, and Antonio’s experience and goal-scoring ability are expected to be valuable assets as they aim to climb the league table.