QPR and Jose Mourinho will be shocked by Birmingham City situation | OneFootball

Birmingham City's Bright Osayi-Samuel is reportedly closing in on a shock return to Fenerbahce, just a year after leaving the Turkish giants.

Birmingham City will be hoping to build on a strong first season back in the Championship under Chris Davies' management.

The Blues finished tenth in the second-tier standings in the 2025/26 campaign, in what was their first season back in the Championship, after winning the League One title in the previous year.

They were unbeaten in their last five league matches as well, and seem to have picked up where they left off with pre-season matches already taking place.

Birmingham beat Huddersfield Town 3-1 in their first pre-season friendly, before following that up with a comfortable 3-0 victory against National League side, Solihull Moors.

There were plenty of positives to take for the Birmingham boss and the club's supporters, with the majority of signings settling in well, and making a notable impact.

However, it could be an interesting few months ahead, with the transfer window being open, and player departures could still be on the cards before the new Championship campaign gets underway in August.

Bright Osayi-Samuel heading for St Andrew's exit door

Action Images.

One player that has struggled to replicate the sort of performances that were originally expected of him is Bright Osayi-Samuel, who signed for Birmingham on a three-year deal from Turkish giants, Fenerbahce.

The Nigerian international caught the eye with plenty of strong performances for the Turkish side in his four-year spell with them, as he made 178 appearances across all competitions, which included featuring in the Champions League, and Europa League.

Therefore, it was somewhat of a coup for Birmingham when they announced that they had landed Osayi-Samuel's signature ahead of the new Championship season.

However, the 28-year-old has found it tough to replicate the sort of form that made a name for himself whilst with QPR and Fenerbahce earlier in his career.

Osayi-Samuel made 29 appearances in all competitions for Birmingham last season, and was in and out of the starting XI throughout the 2025/26 campaign under Chris Davies' management.

Fenerbahce keen on signing 2025 Birmingham addition

Osayi-Samuel is reportedly attracting interest from Fenerbahce for a second spell with the club, with it being reported by Turkish outlet Sozcu that he's closing in on a return to Turkey with his former side.

It remains to be seen as to what potential fee is involved in any deal, but Osayi-Samuel could be keen on a deal to return to Fenerbahce, who finished second in the Turkish top-flight last season, and three points behind bitter rivals, Galatasaray.

Osayi-Samuel was hugely impressive with Fenerbahce in his last spell with the club, where he won the Turkish Cup in the 2022/23 season.

The 28-year-old first made a name for himself with QPR, where he spent four years of his career, having previously been on the books with Blackpool, after breaking through to their first-team setup in 2015.

Osayi-Samuel was brilliant with QPR as an out-and-out winger, before reverting to a more defensive role at full-back with Fenerbahce, which is where Birmingham City have gone on to deploy him.

However, the move to St Andrew's just hasn't worked out for the Nigerian, and a return to Turkey with Fenerbahce could be the ideal move for the 28-year-old, and all other parties involved.

It'll certainly be surprising to both QPR and Jose Mourinho to see Osayi-Samuel finding it tricky to nail down a place in the Birmingham team on a regular basis, as he's shown real quality with both of them. Mourinho managed the full-back in his time with Fenerbahce, and certainly got the best out of him whilst with the club.

Mourinho has since moved on from the Turkish giants, as he moved back to Benfica, which is where he started his managerial career back in 2000. However, that second spell with the Portuguese giants was short-lived, as he's recently signed a deal to become Real Madrid's new manager, as he returns to the Bernabéu for the first time in 13 years.

Osayi-Samuel still has two years remaining on his contract with Birmingham, but it seems as though his days at St Andrew's are numbered, as he closes in on a return to the Turkish Super Lig with Fenerbahce.