Goalkeeper Ben Hamer has signed for Watford on a two-year deal.

The 34-year-old was a free agent, having come to the end of an 18-month contract at Swansea City where he made 20 first-team appearances last season.

With the departure of former third-choice keeper Rob Elliott earlier in the summer, it seems likely that Hamer will now fill that space in the squad.

Hamer was born in Somerset and so is a homegrown player, although he is a fluent German speaker having spent part of his childhood there.

The signing means it’s likely that both Pontus Dahlberg and Vincent Angelini will be loaned out as the club now has five senior keepers on the books.

Hamer started his career at Reading but gained his first-team experience during loan spells at Crawley Town and Brentford.

A move to Charlton Athletic saw him become first choice and he went on to make 121 appearances for the Addicks before joining Leicester City, where he made 12 Premier League appearances in four seasons.

While at the King Power he had spells on loan with Nottingham Forest and Bristol City before joining Huddersfield Town in 2018. He started 25 times for the Terriers, and made a further 27 outings for Derby County on loan before the move to Swansea in January 2021.