The signing of goalkeeper Nathan Baxter has been confirmed by Watford.
The 26-year-old moves from Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer – his contract ends on June 30, and manager Steve Schumacher decided to release the keeper.
Baxter has been at the Trotters since the summer of 2023, leaving Chelsea after 17 years, and he arrived at the Toughsheet Community Stadium to be Ian Evatt's first-choice goalkeeper.
He was ever-present in League One when fit in his debut year at Wanderers as they lost out in the play-off final to Oxford United, but it was more of a mixed campaign in 2024-25, having been dropped by Evatt towards the end of his time in charge of the club, and under Steven Schumacher he only got back into the starting 11 in March.
Born in central London, Baxter began playing football with non-league side Cray Wanderers but, by the age of eight, he had joined Chelsea and progressed through their Academy ranks.
An FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League winner in 2015/16, Baxter started to gain senior playing experience through a series of loan moves.
Spells with Metropolitan Police and Solihull Moors preceded a season with Woking where he made 48 appearances.
He spent the 2018/19 campaign with Yeovil Town, where during his 38 appearances he set a new club record by keeping six consecutive clean sheets – Baxter didn’t concede a goal for more than 10 hours.
At the end of his time with Yeovil he won five club awards, including Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season.
Loans at Ross County and Accrington Stanley followed, before Baxter spent two seasons on loan with Hull City, chalking up 30 senior appearances.
In June 2023, Chelsea announced Baxter would be leaving when his contract expired, and he signed for Bolton, with reports at the time suggesting he turned down a move to Maccabi Haifa.
The keeper is the second confirmed signing of the summer following the capture of midfielder Hector Kyprianou from Peterborough United.
Share