'They're picking on me' – Osayi-Samuel opens up on failed Besiktas move, blasts Turkish media

Super Eagles defender Bright Osayi-Samuel has shed light on the events behind his collapsed move to Besiktas before finalizing his transfer to Birmingham City.

The 27-year-old right-back, who recently signed for Birmingham City after four years at Fenerbahce, was heavily linked with a summer switch to Besiktas.

The deal reportedly fell apart due to excessive financial demands allegedly made by Osayi-Samuel's father. But the former QPR man has now dismissed those reports as misleading.

"The Turkish media... I've had a lot of issues with them. Maybe they are picking on me or something," Osayi-Samuel said, according to the Birmingham Mail.

"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 to go there."

He added that reports claiming his father asked for too much money were simply 'the Turkish way' of handling transfers.

"I played four years at Fenerbahce and they did a lot for me so it was impossible for me to go but then they made an article saying my dad was asking for too much money and that's just the Turkish way.

"I had no interest in going there and when I heard about Birmingham, I wanted to come here."

Osayi-Samuel described his time in Turkey as transformative, both professionally and personally.

"It was a good and bad experience. It would have been better if we won the championship but overall for me it was a learning curve. I went there as a boy and they turned me into a man.

"The derbies were quite hectic. If we do play big games here I will know how to deal with the pressure."

Osayi-Samuel revealed that it was a FaceTime conversation with Birmingham City manager Chris Davies, club owner Wagner, and co-owner Tom Brady that convinced him to return to England.

With Birmingham City targeting promotion to the Premier League, Osayi-Samuel will be keen to move past the transfer saga and focus on helping the club achieve its ambitions.

Adeyemi Adewale

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