Who is Blackpool's latest recruit? - League One record, Premier League experience, and best scoring season

The striker will officially make the move to Bloomfield Road later this month when his contract with Watford expires.

He will join the likes of Jordan Rhodes, Kyle Joseph, Jake Beesley and Kylian Kouassi in the Seasiders’ strike force ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Here’s a closer look at the new addition:

Where did Fletcher start his career?

The 28-year-old was originally in Bolton Wanderers’ academy before joining Manchester United as a teenager, where he progressed through the Red Devils’ different age groups.

During the latter stages of his time at Old Trafford, he was loaned out to Barnsley, where he scored nine times in 26 appearances, including strikes in the final of the EFL Trophy and League One play-off final in 2016.

Premier League experience

Following his departure from Manchester United, Fletcher signed for West Ham, where he picked up some Premier League experience, featuring in 16 games for the Hammers during the 2016/17 season, as well as making two appearances in the Europa League qualifying stages.

He’d later add three more top flight appearances to his CV during his time with Watford.

Best scoring season

Fletcher departed the Hammers after only one year, with one goal in 20 games in all competitions. He joined Middlesbrough for a reported £6.5million, but took some time to get going.

During his first campaign at the Riverside Stadium, he was loaned out to Sunderland – where he was part of the squad that suffered relegation to League One.

After registering eight goals in all competitions during his second season with Boro, it was his third year with the North Yorkshire club where he discovered his form.

In 46 outings during the 2019/20 campaign, he found the back of the net 13 times and provided seven assists – which is his best return to date.

Injury record

Fletcher’s final year with Middlesbrough was hit by injury, with the forward featuring in just 12 games that year due to a hamstring problem.

In fact, in the entirety of his career, he has only featured in 30 or more league games on two occasions (2017/18 and 2019/20).

Recent woes in front of goal

Since making the move to Watford in 2021, Fletcher has found the back of the net just four times in all competitions. Two of his goals came in the EFL Cup for the Hornets, while the others was in the Championship for Wigan Athletic – whom he made 28 appearances for in total.

Either side of his stint at the Brick Community Stadium, he endured goalless stints with New York Red Bulls in the MLS and Sheffield Wednesday last season.

League One record

Fletcher’s move to Blackpool marks a return to League One for the striker, with his loan spell with Barnsley being his only previous taste of England’s third tier.

His record in the 2015/16 season was pretty decent, with seven goals in 23 appearances as a youngster.