Nathaniel Chalobah joined Fulham on a permanent deal on deadline day, agreeing to a two-year deal at Craven Cottage. 

The 26-year-old was not the only Watford player to swap Hertfordshire for West London on the last day of August, with Domingos Quina also making the short trip.

Chalobah made 38 appearances for the promotion-winning Hornets last time out, starting 32 of those games.

The holding midfielder scored three times and provided an assist during the 2020/21 campaign, a year where he also captained the side in March and early April.

After being unable to pave a way into the first-team set up at Chelsea, Chalobah signed for The Hornets in 2017, proceeding to play over 100 games at Vicarage Road.

However, it appears that Watford's midfield recruitment this summer has left the England international down the pecking order, much to Fulham's advantage.

Chalobah has now taken to Instagram to express how delighted he is to get started with the team who currently occupy top spot in the division: "Good morning @fulhamfc . 👋🏽 Excited to be part of the project. Looking forward to seeing you all."

The verdict

Bringing Chalobah back to the Championship is an excellent bit of business from Marco Silva, who was the manager who brought the 26-year-old to Watford on a permanent basis back in 2017.

Chalobah's technical ability, coupled with his physical presence, make him an extremely tough to play against, and dependable figure in the middle of the park. 

The departure of André-Frank Zambo Anguissa will come as a loss for the club, but replacing him with the talented 26-year-old will soften that blow, as he has all the attributes required to help the club back to the Premier League. 

Fulham still possess excellent midfield options, and it is expected that he will be made to work his way into the side.