Udinese are delighted to announce that Adam Masina has signed for the club, as the defender is set to bolster the side’s backline. He makes the move over from England but is no newcomer to Italy or Italian football.
Masina brings with him a wealth of experience, versatility and leadership, meaning that he offers coach Andrea Sottil a flexible resource to strengthen both the defence and wings.
He joins Udinese from English club Watford and has signed a contract which sees him here until 30 June 2025.
Masina was born in Khourigba, Morocco on 2 January 1994, but he spent his youth career developing and training in Italy as part of Bologna’s academy.
His first professional experience came with Giacomense in the Lega Pro in the 2012/13 season, where he made 15 appearances. The following year, he returned to Bologna Primavera, playing 18 games and scoring three goals.
In 2014/15, he was playing regularly for the Bologna first team, making 28 appearances and bagging a goal in the league to help his team secure their return to Serie A.
He proved a mainstay the following year, playing 34 games in the league and Coppa Italia and scoring twice.
He also made the same number of appearances during the subsequent season, netting one goal, while in his last year in Italy, the 2017/18 season, he played 35 games in total.
In the summer of 2018, he got the call from Watford, who were playing in the Premier League at the time, and made his move abroad. In his first season there, he played 20 games and reached the FA Cup final.
He became a pivotal player for the Hornets, playing 28 games and scoring one goal in all competitions in 2019/20; making 26 appearances in the Championship and FA Cup and scoring two goals in 2020/21; and playing 15 matches in the Premier League and League Cup in the most recent season.
Masina played six games for Italy U21s before choosing to play for Morocco’s full national side, with whom he has secured qualification for the next World Cup and played 16 games.