Bright Osayi-Samuel believes his first full pre-season with Birmingham City has transformed him into a new signing, after a debut campaign blighted by fitness struggles and injury. The right-back, who joined from Fenerbahce last year, has admitted his own standards slipped in 2025/26 and has spent the summer working with personal coaches to ensure he hits the ground running this time around.
Fitness was the issue
Speaking after an impressive performance in Blues' opening game of the 2026/27 season at Swansea, Osayi-Samuel was candid about his shortcomings. "I had my own problems that I had to sort out in terms of my fitness. In the summer I had my own coaches to work on my fitness because I think that's what really was the issue last season," he said.
The 28-year-old added: "I did my analysis of my games last season and my fitness was not where I would like it to be so I knew that was something I had to work on. I obviously had my injury as well, that stopped me from training as much as I would like. But when I first signed I wasn't 100 percent."
First full pre-season
Osayi-Samuel's first campaign at St Andrew's started brightly with a Man of the Match display against Ipswich Town, but a late September injury handed the right-back spot to Tomoki Iwata. Sporadic starts followed around the Africa Cup of Nations, where he starred for Nigeria, but he only truly regained his place in April.
Now, after a full pre-season without setbacks, he feels the benefits. "This is my first full pre-season where I can say that I'm seeing improvements. Now I just have to bring that to the pitch," he said.
Unlike his positional rival Ethan Laird, Osayi-Samuel came through pre-season unscathed and is poised to start Saturday's Championship opener at Sheffield United.
Adapting to Davies' style
Head coach Chris Davies had earlier noted an adaptation period for Osayi-Samuel, but the player has also benefited from a tactical shift. Blues are no longer forcing short passes from the back, instead opting to go long to avoid unnecessary errors. The demands on the right-back have been simplified, with Carlos Vicente providing width on the right, allowing Osayi-Samuel to focus on defensive solidity.
"In the Championship you have to have different styles," said Osayi-Samuel, who previously played in the division for Blackpool and QPR. "It's all good trying to play but there will be games where we play bad, or not the game you would expect us to play, and as long as it gets us wins that's the main thing. Being direct sometimes is the best route."
He added: "We have very athletic players and players who are aggressive, so we try to bully teams and sometimes we have to do that."
With a full pre-season under his belt and a clearer role, Osayi-Samuel looks set to be a key figure for Birmingham City's push for promotion back to the Premier League.
