Tom Dele-Bashiru
Nigerian footballer (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ayotomiwa Sherif "Tom" Dele-Bashiru (born 17 September 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Super League Greece club Aris.[4][5] Born in England, Dele-Bashiru represents Nigeria internationally.
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Tom Dele-Bashiru in 2025. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ayotomiwa Sherif Dele-Bashiru[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 17 September 1999[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Manchester, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Aris | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2017 | Manchester City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2019 | Manchester City | 0 | (0) |
| 2019–2026 | Watford | 71 | (6) |
| 2021–2022 | → Reading (loan) | 38 | (4) |
| 2025–2026 | → Gençlerbirliği (loan) | 28 | (0) |
| 2026– | Aris | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014 | England U16 | 2 | (0) |
| 2019 | Nigeria U20 | 3 | (1) |
| 2019 | Nigeria U23 | 1 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 25 July 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 6 September 2020 | |||
Club career
Dele-Bashiru made his professional debut for Manchester City on 19 December 2017 in the EFL Cup against Leicester City, replacing Phil Foden in the 91st minute and playing in extra time.[6]
On 24 July 2019, Dele-Bashiru joined Watford on a six-year deal after his contract with Manchester City expired.[7] He made his Watford debut and scored the opening goal in a 3–3 draw against Tranmere Rovers in the FA Cup third round.[8]
On his first league start, Dele-Bashiru came off injured in the first-half against Reading on 3 October 2020. It was confirmed that he would undergo surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament injury and would be out for around six months.[9]
After returning to training and representing the Hornets during the pre-season in Summer 2021, Dele-Bashiru joined Reading on a season-long loan, in order to get more playing time and fully restore his fitness.[5] He scored his first goals for Reading when he scored twice against Peterborough United on 14 September 2021 in a 3–1 win.[10]
On 12 September 2025, Dele-Bashiru joined Süper Lig club Gençlerbirliği on a season-long loan.[11]
On 22 May 2026, Watford said it had triggered a one-year extension to his contract.[12]
International career
Dele-Bashiru has represented the England under-16 team,[13] but he is also eligible for Nigeria. He was part of the Nigeria national under-20 football team in the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland. Dele-Bashiru scored Nigeria's third goal in their opening match win against Qatar, with the game finishing 4–0.
Personal life
Dele-Bashiru's younger brother Fisayo also came through the ranks at Manchester City before joining Sheffield Wednesday.[14]
Career statistics
- As of match played 18 April 2026
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester City U21 | 2017–18[15] | — | — | — | — | 3[a] | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||||
| 2018–19[16] | — | — | — | — | 5[a] | 1 | 5 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | — | — | — | — | 8 | 1 | 8 | 1 | ||||||
| Manchester City | 2017–18[15] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2018–19[16] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Watford | 2019–20[17] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21[18] | Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22[19] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23[20] | Championship | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24[21] | Championship | 35 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 3 | |||
| 2024–25[22] | Championship | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 4 | |||
| 2025–26[22] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 71 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 81 | 8 | ||||
| Reading (loan) | 2021–22[19] | Championship | 38 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 4 | ||
| Gençlerbirliği (loan) | 2025–26[22] | Süper Lig | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 25 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 134 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 154 | 12 | ||
- Appearances in EFL Trophy
