Birmingham City suffer potential player blow ahead of West Brom | OneFootball

Bright Osayi-Samuel has pulled out of Nigeria's international squad ahead of their final fixture of the break

Birmingham City could be fearing over the fitness of Bright Osayi-Samuel following his mysterious international duty exit.

The full-back has been with the Nigeria national team in the last few weeks, coming off the bench against Madagascar before starting in a 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau.

However, he has withdrawn from the squad ahead of their final fixture of the September/October window.

The 28-year-old has been a consistent presence for Chris Davies’ side so far this season, starting all eight of their opening Championship fixtures.

The defender has played all 90 minutes on all but one occasion in the league in 2026/27, so a potential injury would be a blow to the Midlands outfit.

Osayi-Samuel signed for the Blues in the 2025 summer transfer window, arriving as a free agent from Turkish giant Fenerbahce.

Birmingham’s Bright Osayi-Samuel concern

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According to the Nigerian Guardian, Osayi-Samuel has mysteriously withdrawn from the Nigeria squad before their final fixture of the international window.

The Super Eagles have been left without a proper replacement, which has seen them scramble for a solution for their upcoming game on Tuesday.

This has raised concerns that the 28-year-old could be suffering from a fitness issue that could put his place in the Birmingham squad in jeopardy ahead of the return to the league this weekend.

Osayi-Samuel started 19 of his 27 appearances in the Championship last season, with fitness issues preventing him from playing further.

But he has been a mainstay of Davies’ side in the early stages of this campaign, starting in each of their league games so far.

This is the second injury concern for Birmingham during this international window, with Paik Seung-ho also withdrawing from the South Korea national team due to an issue.

However, the source and extent of the injury has not yet been revealed, with more details likely to emerge later this week.

Birmingham’s start to the season

Davies’ position is under intense pressure as Birmingham prepare for the return of the Championship season.

The Blues are aiming for a promotion push this year, but have won just two of their opening eight fixtures.

The club have earned 11 points from a possible 24, which has left the team 10th in the table, and already six points adrift of leaders Swansea City.

Next up for Birmingham is a trip to face fifth place West Brom on 10 October at the Hawthorns in a 12.30pm kick-off.

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Last thing Chris Davies needs is mounting injury issues

If Osayi-Samuel is added to the list of injuries at Birmingham, then that will be a big blow for Davies.

The Blues head coach is under a lot of pressure to get results at the moment, and that will be harder to achieve without key first team players.

Ethan Laird is an option available to Davies, but he too has been difficult to rely on with his own fitness issues in the past.

So Birmingham will be hoping that it’s nothing too serious with Osayi-Samuel, as well as Paik, as Davies needs everyone on board to help turn around the team’s inconsistent form.