Following the club's failure reach promotion back to the Premier League, Shittu was linked a move away from Watford, with Rangers keen on signing him. Watford accepted a bid from Rangers for Shittu and expected the move to happen. However, the move collapsed over personal terms and wage problems. Despite this, Shittu remained keen on moving to Rangers. Shittu left Watford in August 2008 to join Premier League side Bolton Wanderers for a fee of £2m plus further add-ons. He made 69 appearances scoring 8 times for Watford between 2006–2008.
