“A good deal on our hands” – Norwich City backed to sign ex-QPR star Bright Osayi-Samuel.
This post is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which features personal comments from FLW Fan Pundits on breaking news, teams, players, managers, possible signings, and more.
Norwich City are reportedly interested in signing Bright Osayi-Samuel-Samuel, a former Queens Park Rangers winger who presently plays for Fenerbahce.
According to Turkish site Fanatik, Ligue 1 club Lens is also interested in signing the Nigerian international.
In January 2021, the wide man relocated to Turkey and returned to a full-back position. He has made 145 appearances for the club since then.
With a potential transfer back to England on the horizon, we met up with Football League World’s Norwich City fan commentator, Zeke Downes, to get his take on the Canaries’ prospective interest in the star.
Norwich City is encouraged to make approach for Bright Osayi-Samuel.
During his tenure at Loftus Road, Osayi-Samuel’s energy and unpredictability on the flanks caused all sorts of problems for Championship defenders.
Since coming to Turkey, the wide winger has helped Fenerbahce win the Turkish Cup in 2023 while also routinely contending at the top of the Super Lig and making frequent appearances in European competitions.
That kind of expertise might be vital for Johannes Hoff Thorup and his City side as they attempt to launch a drive for the Championship promotion slots, and Downes feels the ex-QPR man is an improvement over a number of other possibilities they presently have.
The Canaries fan commented, “I don’t mind the speculation tying us to Bright Osayi-Samuel because of his experience at QPR. He was probably always at a higher level than them, closer to the top half of the Championship.
“It’s difficult to judge how excellent he is, but he’s a decent age, has experience in our league, and plays a position that we’ll definitely need because a number of our wingers are becoming older.
| Bright Osayi-Samuel senior club career record – stats from Transfermarkt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Blackpool | 79 | 5 | 6 |
| QPR | 115 | 13 | 12 |
| Fenerbahce | 145 | 7 | 14 |
| As of 8th October 2024 | |||
“We also have [Ante] Crnac and Kaide Gordon, as well as [Emiliano] Marcondes, but he isn’t really a winger, so I can imagine that happening, we need another person who can do that.”
Norwich City will need to handle Bright Osayi-Samuel’s position shift.
While EFL fans will remember Osayi-Samuel as an all-action winger, his move to Turkey coincided with him being employed in a more defensive capacity, with the Nigerian currently playing right-back on a regular basis.
It remains to be seen if any prospective move to Carrow Road would result in the star returning to a more forward role, but Downes feels his qualities would be better suited to a more aggressive position.
“Yes, he has been converted into a right-back, but I doubt he will play many minutes as a right-back if he joins us, unless we are using a wing-back formation, because both [Kellen] Fisher and [Jack] Stacey are excellent choices.
“I don’t understand why he would come in as a third-choice right-back unless he can play left-back, where we could need him.
“But personally, if he is alright with playing on the wing then we could have a good deal on our hands, I trust that [Johannes Hoff] Thorup knows what he is doing, and the same with [Ben] Knapper.”
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