Dele-Bashiru swaps Watford for Gençlerbirliği loan in search of revival

By Dayo Awoniyi

Watford midfielder Tom Dele-Bashiru has sealed a season-long loan move to Turkish Super Lig side Gençlerbirliği SK, where he will team up with compatriots Henry Onyekuru and Oghenekaro Etebo.

Championship outfit Watford confirmed the deal in a statement late Friday, while Gençlerbirliği unveiled the 25-year-old via their official X account.

Dele-Bashiru, who joined Watford from Manchester City in 2019, has struggled for regular minutes under manager Paulo Pezzolano. He has made just two appearances this season—off the bench against QPR in the Championship and as a starter in the Carabao Cup defeat to Norwich, where he was substituted at half-time.

Despite flashes of promise, his Watford career has been stop-start. He has managed 81 appearances and eight goals, with his best run coming last season under Tom Cleverley, when he featured in 38 games. That form earned him a new two-year contract in the summer of 2024, keeping him tied to the Hornets until 2026.

The move also carries a family storyline. His younger brother, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, left Sheffield Wednesday for Hatayspor in 2023, where strong performances earned him a Nigeria call-up.

Fisayo has since become a Super Eagles regular, scoring twice in seven games and registering an assist in Tuesday’s 1-1 World Cup qualifier against South Africa. His rise culminated in a permanent transfer to Lazio this summer after a successful loan spell.

Tom, who has represented Nigeria at youth level but has yet to break into the senior squad, will hope Turkey provides a similar springboard.

At Gençlerbirliği, he will find familiar company: Etebo, who was instrumental in the club’s promotion from the second tier last season before undergoing Achilles tendon surgery, and Onyekuru, who joined this summer on a free transfer after leaving Saudi Arabian side Al Fahya.

For Dele-Bashiru, the loan represents both a fresh start and a chance to reignite his career in a league that has often proven fertile ground for Nigerian talent.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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