Nestory Irankunda has officially joined Watford, with the club already hailing the young Australian talent as a “wonderkid” following his arrival at the EFL Championship side.
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Irankunda has penned a five-year contract after transferring from Bayern Munich for a reported fee around €4 million ($7.1 million), and he will wear the number 66 jersey.
Watford’s sporting director, Gian Luca Nani, expressed high hopes for Irankunda, saying, “Nestory has the potential to become a very special player, and we believe he can achieve that here with us. He perfectly fits the winger profile our manager Paulo Pezzolano was seeking.”
“Nestory was highly sought after, but thanks to our strong scouting network and relationships, we were able to get ahead of other clubs in signing a player with this kind of potential. We acted swiftly when the opportunity came up, which has been key to our recruitment success.
“The player wanted to join us because he sees a clear pathway here and understands our commitment to developing young talent and our vision for the club.
“We’re thrilled to have Nestory on board; he’s already boosted the positive atmosphere at the training ground.”
Irankunda first gained attention as a 15-year-old playing for Adelaide United in the A-League before moving to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in 2024.
Though he never made a first-team appearance for Bayern, he was loaned out to Grasshoppers in Switzerland, where he featured in 21 matches in the Swiss Super League.
With 55 appearances for Adelaide United under his belt, this move to the Championship represents a significant step up in competition.
Irankunda has earned five caps for Australia and scored his first international goal in a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Palestine in June 2024. Despite recently falling out of favor with coach Tony Popovic, he hopes that his transfer to Watford will help him regain attention and a spot in the Socceroos squad ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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