What Chris Davies has told Birmingham City star to do if he wants to kick-start stalling Blues career | OneFootball

The defender has seriously struggled for game time recently

Birmingham City manager Chris Davies has outlined what Bright Osayi-Samuel must do to get back in the starting 11.

After a mixed start to the 2025/26 campaign, Blues finally look to have gained some momentum at a crucial time in the season.

The Second City side have picked up 10 points from their last five matches, which is more than they’d scored in their previous nine outings before that run. Alongside the grand reveal of what their new 62,000-seater stadium will look like, a potential play-off push has got Birmingham supporters excited about what the future holds.

A number of players have also begun to hit some strong form during this time, with the likes of Jay Stansfield and Marvin Ducksch both beginning to show their quality to full effect.

One member of the squad who has struggled to do that this term, though, is Bright Osayi-Samuel, who was signed as a free agent in the summer after spending the last four years with Turkish outfit Fenerbahçe.

Chris Davies has outlined Bright Osayi-Samuel’s route back into the Birmingham City starting 11

Osayi-Samuel was viewed as an exciting signing when acquired by Blues in the summer, due to his extensive top-flight and continental experience.

Formerly a tricky and technical right-sided winger during his previous days in the Championship with QPR, Osayi-Samuel transitioned into a more defensive role after moving to Türkiye, where he worked under legendary manager Jose Mourinho, and his arrival appeared a real coup for the Second City outfit.

He started the season as Birmingham’s first-choice right-back but was slowly frozen out in favour of Tomoki Iwata,who continuously impressed with his consistent performances despite being shunted out of his natural central midfield position and allowed other members of the side, such as Tommy Doyle, to thrive in the process.

The 27-year-old has managed just a single start since late September and which naturally leads to questions over where he fits into the squad or Davies’ plans entirely.

Birmingham’s manager has now addressed that issue when speaking before his side’s clash with Watford, outlining exactly what the defender must do to reclaim his place in the starting 11.

“Bright has been brought in to be an important player for us,” Blues boss Davies said to BirminghamLive. “He made a good start then with injuries he found himself out of the team.

“Tomoki was moved to right-back because both right-backs were injured and Tomoki has been one of, if not the best full-back in the league in that time, he’s been exceptional.

“That’s the nature of being a footballer, you’re not guaranteed to play. You’ve got to really go and make it happen.”

AFCON could compound Bright Osayi-Samuel’s Birmingham City issues

Even if Osayi-Samuel can fight his way back into the Birmingham City team in the coming weeks, another issue that may affect his placement in the squad could be the Africa Cup of Nations.

The defender is expected to represent Nigeria in that tournament, which starts on December 21.

If his country progresses towards the latter stages of the competition, Osayi-Samuel could miss up to a month of club football. During this time, Iwata may have further cemented his place in Blues’ starting 11.

Therefore, although he has the next few weeks to impress, the full-back could find getting into Birmingham’s team even harder in the near future, which will only bring questions surrounding his future at St. Andrew’s to the fore once more.