Cameroonian defender Nicolas Nkoulou has said joining Watford was a no-brainer as he had worked in the Premier League before and knew manager Claudio Raniere.

He said this when reflecting on his full Premier League debut against Arsenal after months in the sidelines.

The former Cameroon captain left Torino at the end of last season after four years, according to Watford website, spent the summer working tirelessly on his fitness plan.

The 31-year-old said he had to stay claim and avoid becoming impatient while waiting for the next move.

 “As always I followed my fitness plan that I use every summer because I wanted to make sure I was fit when a club called,” Nkoulou told Watford website.

“It isn’t easy when you have to wait for a club to call you but I always tried to stay focused, following my plan to be ready for when the time came.

“I didn’t know where I was going, all I could do was to wait for the opportunity. This is my job and I just needed to be ready.

“There were a few opportunities in Italy but when Watford called me I just thought about the opportunity to play in the Premier League, where I’ve never played before, and it was an easy decision. It’s the best league in football, I knew Watford and the manager, I didn’t really have to think.”

The defender said he was proud to have been part of the Cameroon team that won the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2017.

 “It was a special moment for Cameroon in 2017, because we won the AFCON after 17 years, we were the underdogs,” Nkoulou said.

Ranieri spoke about his admiration for Nkoulou as they both worked in France.

 “I was impressed with Nkoulou. He played in Italy for a long time, and also when I managed Monaco I watched him at Marseille and spoke about bringing him back to Monaco. I’ve followed him for a long time,” he told the club.