Super Eagles and Birmingham City defender Bright Osayi-Samuel has slammed the Turkish media for spreading false narratives to sabotage his reputation.
The 27-year-old joined English Championship side Birmingham City on a free transfer after four years with Fenerbahce.
However, reports emerged in Turkey suggesting his father made excessive financial demands that ultimately killed a proposed switch to Besiktas claims Osayi-Samuel has now flatly denied.
“They made an article saying my dad was asking for too much money and that’s just the Turkish way,” Osayi-Samuel told Birmingham Mail.
“The Turkish media, I’ve had a lot of issues with them. Maybe they’re picking on me or something.”
Bright Osayi: Photo Credit: X
The former QPR and Blackpool full-back stated that he had no intention of joining Fenerbahce’s city rivals in the first place, and that talks with Besiktas were handled by his representatives not his family.
“There was interest from Besiktas, which is the rival of my team, and they wanted to sign me and spoke to my agent, but I never had interest in going there,” he revealed.
The defender said the false narrative was deliberately orchestrated to damage his credibility and make him look ungrateful to Fenerbahce.
Bright Osayi during his time at Fenerbahce. Photo Credit: X
Despite the sour end to his time in Turkey, Osayi-Samuel said he holds no bitterness and is fully focused on helping Birmingham secure promotion to the Premier League.
“When I heard about Birmingham, I wanted to come here,” he said. “It was a good and bad experience in Turkey. It would have been better if we won the championship, but overall, it was a learning curve. I went there as a boy and left as a man.”
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He praised the energy and ambition of Birmingham’s project, adding that a FaceTime call with club stakeholders including manager Chris Davies, co-owner Tom Brady, and sporting director Craig Gardner convinced him that it was the right move.
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“When I was speaking to my agent, I had interest from Birmingham. I spoke to Gards quite a bit, and then had a FaceTime call with him, Wagner, and Tom Brady.
Bright Osayi at Birmingham city. Photo Credit:X
The message was clear: ‘We’re going to the Premier League.’ The ambition was obvious, it was a no-brainer.”
The defender also revealed he had studied clips of the club in League One and was drawn to their tactical approach, particularly the full-backs’ freedom to push forward.
“I saw Ethan Laird bombing forward, playing almost as a winger. I knew it was a place I could fit in.”
