By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Birmingham City head coach Chris Davies has confirmed that Nigerian full-back Bright Osayi-Samuel was never in contention to feature in the club’s 2–2 draw with Wrexham on Friday, following a foot injury sustained earlier in the week.
The 27-year-old picked up the knock while blocking a cross during the second half of Birmingham’s midweek clash against Sheffield Wednesday, which also ended 2–2.
The injury ruled him out of the Wrexham fixture and added to Davies’ growing injury list.
“He wasn’t really close—he just couldn’t get over that knock that he had,” Davies said during his post-match briefing.
“I don’t think we’re talking about something that’s going to keep him out for long, but he wasn’t ready.”
Osayi-Samuel’s injury also comes as a setback for Nigeria, with the defender forced to withdraw from the Super Eagles squad ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin Republic.
In his absence, Porto defender Zaidu Sanusi has been called up as a replacement.
Osayi-Samuel is, however, expected to return to full fitness after the international break.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
