Aitor Karanka’s Nottingham Forest have confirmed the signing of Ben Watson on a two-and-a-half-year deal, after leaving Watford by mutual consent at the end of January.

The former Crystal Palace, Wigan Athletic, Queens Park Rangers and West Bromwich-Albion midfielder will now be at the City Ground until 2020.

✍️ #NFFC are delighted to announce the signing of midfielder Ben Watson on a two-and-a-half year deal.

➡️ https://t.co/ma8gfWykEf pic.twitter.com/VzxbzWXh4M

— Nottingham Forest FC (@NFFC) February 5, 2018

Watson’s career started at Palace, may have arguably peaked when scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup final, and could now be ending with Forest.

He’s represented England at u21 level on two occasions and boasts a wealth of Premier League experience to bring to Aitor Karanka’s side.

Forest are currently 16th in the Championship table with 35 points from 30 games this season, coming off the back of three defeats from their last four outings.

The Midlands outfit have struggled from a lack of goals, in addition to conceding far too many at the other end, so a combative player like Watson might help stem the tide at least.

There’s a lot of competition in midfield, however, with Liam Bridcutt, David Vaughan, Ben Osbourne, Jack Colback, Adlène Guédioura and Andreas Bouchalakis all vying for game time. But Watson could be a key influence.

He could make his debut against Hull City on Saturday afternoon too. Forest would have beaten out a number of sides to land his signature, and fans could get a glimpse of his quality in the coming days.