Watford midfielder Tom Dele-Bashiru has completed a season-long loan move to Turkish Super Lig side Gençlerbirliği SK, where he will link up with fellow Nigerians Henry Onyekuru and Peter Etebo, Soccernet.ng reports.
Championship club Watford confirmed the move with a press statement on their official website on Friday night while Gençlerbirliği made a post of the transfer via their X account.
The 25-year-old, who joined the Hornets from Manchester City in 2019, has struggled for regular football under Paulo Pezzolano.
He made just one Championship appearance this season, as a substitute against QPR, and started in the Carabao Cup defeat to Norwich, where he was withdrawn at half-time.
Dele-Bashiru’s Watford career has been stop-start. He has made 81 appearances and scored eight goals for the club, but his best run of form came last season when he featured in 38 matches under Tom Cleverley.
That upturn earned him a new two-year deal last summer, but with his contract expiring in 2026, this loan could prove decisive for his long-term future.
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— Gençlerbirliği SK (@kirmizikara) September 12, 2025
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The move also mirrors the path of his younger brother, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.
Fisayo left Championship club Sheffield Wednesday for Hatayspor in 2023, shone in Turkey, and earned his first senior Nigeria cap later that year.
He has since become a regular for the Super Eagles, scoring twice in seven appearances, and providing an assist in Nigeria’s 1-1 draw with South Africa in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
Fisayo's club career has also enjoyed a huge lift as he joined Lazio permanently this summer after an impressive loan spell last term.
Tom, capped at youth level by Nigeria but still awaiting his senior breakthrough, will hope Turkey provides the same springboard.
At Gençlerbirliği, he will find familiar faces in Onyekuru and Etebo. Etebo was instrumental in the club’s promotion from the Turkish second tier last season. The 28-year-old, however, is currently sidelined after undergoing surgery on his Achilles tendon.
Onyekuru joined the club on a free transfer this summer after leaving Saudi Arabia side Al Fahya.
