My father won’t allow me join Besiktas – Osayi

 Nigeria international Bright Osayi-Samuel has revealed that his potential move to Besiktas collapsed due to his father’s strong allegiance to Fenerbahce, as he opened up on transfer discussions and his departure from the Turkish club, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Osayi-Samuel, who now plays for Birmingham City in the Championship after signing a three-year deal in July 2025 following four years at Fenerbahce, said the Besiktas approach was handled by his former agent and did not reflect his personal intentions or family influence.

The 28-year-old explained that while Besiktas had shown interest through his agent, his father’s deep loyalty to Fenerbahce made any switch to their Istanbul rivals impossible, even if he had considered it himself.

“My dad is a Fenerbahce fan, he wouldn’t let me go to Besiktas,” he said in an interview with Libero TV.

“The deal with Besiktas was an agreement made with my former agent. It had nothing to do with me or my dad. My dad is a very hardcore Fenerbahce supporter, really hardcore.”

“Even if I wanted to sign for Besiktas, my dad would never let me go. Besiktas contacted my former agent and wanted me to come.”

He also stressed that he did not intend any disrespect towards Besiktas, but made clear that his preference at the time was either to remain at Fenerbahce or return home.

“I didn’t want to, I don’t want to disrespect Besiktas, but I wanted to go home. It was either Fenerbahce or going home,” he added.

Osayi-Samuel also addressed speculation surrounding his exit from Fenerbahce, rejecting claims that he had demanded a new contract and insisting that misinformation circulated during a period of agent changes.

He explained that an early contract offer was made by former sporting director Mario Branco and initially accepted, but complications arose while he was in the process of switching representatives.

The Nigerian international said he became frustrated after discovering that false reports about his contract demands had been circulated without his knowledge, allegedly linked to his then-agent.

He added that the situation led him to distance himself from his representative and agree to work with a new agent before proceeding with any contractual decisions, stressing that misunderstandings at that stage contributed to the rumours around his future.