Super Eagles full-back, Bright Osayi-Samuel, has penned a three-year deal with two-time Carabao Cup winners, Birmingham City, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 27-year-old was a regular at Fenerbahce, but refused to agree to a new contract with Jose Mourinho’s side. He then drew interest from another Turkish side – Besiktas, and was reportedly in an agreement with them, but the deal didn’t come to fruition.
Osayi has now signed with Birmingham City, and will call the St. Andrews Stadium home for the next three seasons as he looks to play top-flight football with the Blues.
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“I’m delighted. You know, there’s always a process, but I’m delighted to be here now. So it’s all done now, it’s time to focus and play my football to show the fans what I can do,” the former QPR man told the club’s official website.
“I want to win every game, attack, make teams fear us from the first minute, and then keep a consistent run. The Championship is a long season, and I feel like the most consistent teams get promoted, from my experience.”
Osayi’s move to the EFL Championship despite having several offers from top-flight leagues across Europe has raised several eyebrows, but the versatile defender has explained the rationale behind his decision.
“I think it’s the project, I spoke to the owner and the manager, and the ambitions of what they want to do intrigued me.
“Of course, they’d done well to get promoted last season, and the ambition is not just to compete, but to get straight to the Premier League, and those are my ambitions too. I want to play in the Premier League and show everyone what I can do, so I think Birmingham City have given me a platform to showcase that.
“Their ambition matched my personal goals, and they made me feel wanted in their pursuit.
“It shows that the club has confidence in you, and they make you showcase your skills because you know they’ve got your back, so now it’s my turn to repay the faith on the pitch.
“I feel I can help the team fulfil their ambitions, so that’s one of the reasons I came here,” the one-time Turkish Cup winner continued.
Quizzed about the addition he’ll be bringing to the team when the season kicks off, alongside his experience in Turkey, the former Blackpool defender said;
“My attacking force. I’m fast, I like to dribble, and I like to exchange passes between players. I don’t shy away from challenges, so I think I can help the team with these attributes.
“My experience in Turkey has been great, you know, playing for the biggest club in Turkey. It’s an honour, I learned so much. I feel like I was a kid and they turned me into a man
“I’m very grateful and honoured to Fenerbahce. They’ve done a lot for me, and playing in European competitions helps you learn as a player.”
The 23-cap Nigerian defender grew up in England after emigrating at the age of 10, but revealed his delight every time he gets a call-up to represent the Super Eagles.
“I take great pride in playing for them. My parents, especially, they’re usually chock-full whenever I get to represent Nigeria.
“If you look at the team, there are so many good players in the team, so I’m honoured to be there,” Osayi concluded.
Osayi-Samuel will now link up with his new teammates ahead of the Men’s First Team’s pre-season training camp in Portugal.
Birmingham appear keen on returning straight to the English Premier League after making statement signings, including the pursuit of former Everton and Watford winger, Demarai Gray, who grew up in the club’s academy.