Bright Osayi-Samuel is one of the most exciting young talents in the Championship (Getty Images)
According to claims from TEAMtalk (h/t Wales Online), Swansea City are among a host of clubs interested in signing QPR contract rebel Bright Osayi-Samuel in the January window.
The Swans, however, are expected to face stiff competition from Championship rivals Stoke City in their pursuit of the 23-year-old winger. Premier League outfits West Ham and Crystal Palace are also understood to be keeping close tabs on his situation, thus presenting further complications for Steve Cooper’s side. (TEAMtalk h/t Wales Online)
Osayi-Samuel’s contract at Loftus Road is due to expire at the end of the season, with negotiations between the club and the player failing to reach a positive conclusion. He has continued to feature regularly under manager Mark Warburton but his long-term future remains very much up in the air.
The Nigerian-born English star started his career at Blackpool, where he shot to prominence in League One and League Two. Osayi-Samuel was offered a route to the Championship by QPR in 2017 and established himself as a key player following the appointment of Warburton after playing a bit-part role in his first two seasons in West London.
The fleet-footed winger enjoyed the most productive campaign on his career last term, registering 6 goals and 9 assists in 40 appearances across all competitions. Osayi-Samuel is yet to reach similar heights this season but has still contributed with 3 goals and 2 assists in 21 league appearances for QPR so far.
Meanwhile, Swansea City have emerged as one of the hot favourites for automatic promotion in the Championship after a sparkling first half of the season.
With the race for promotion expected to heap up during a hectic second half of the campaign, Steve Cooper should be on the lookout for some fresh additions to bolster his squad this month. The Swans have managed just 29 goals in the Championship so far, which is clearly an area that requires improvement moving forward.
Andre Ayew and Jamal Lowe have shouldered the bulk of the team’s goalscoring workload so far. With youngster Liam Cullen and Brighton loanee Viktor Gyokeres offering very little, Swansea undoubtedly need more competition for places in their forward line. Plus, the departure of Morgan Gibbs-White midway through the season has also dealt a blow to Cooper’s plans in the coming months.
Bright Osayi-Samuel would be an excellent addition to the ranks at the Liberty Stadium. The 23-year-old has already started to deliver on his potential at QPR, showing that he’s more than capable of chipping in with valuable goal contributions on a consistent basis at this level. That would make him a quality addition to a rather goal-shy strike force.
A potential deal for Osayi-Samuel would also hand a significant boost to Cooper’s dynamics in the final third. The QPR star is capable of operating on either side of the pitch and also through the middle as a supporting striker. That would provide Swansea with some quality cover and competition in multiple positions across the forward line.
QPR are struggling at the wrong end of the table in the Championship and Swansea will be hoping that their status as strong promotion contenders would be enough to lure Bright Osayi-Samuel to the Liberty Stadium.
He still has plenty of room for development and with his contract at QPR due to expire next summer, the Swans should definitely fancy their chances with a cut-price swoop for the talented winger.