Nathan Tella never got the pro deal he was hoping for at Arsenal (Image: Arsenal FC)
Ex-Arsenal prodigy Nathan Tella has bounced back from the crushing blow of his release to become something of a serial winner. Tella’s football aspirations were left hanging in the balance when the Gunners didn’t offer him a pro contract in 2017, despite having spent a decade in their youth ranks.
Yet today he stands as a £20million star, boasting a trophy haul that rivals his former club’s since his departure. Southampton threw him a career lifeline after his Emirates exit, with Tella going on to make his Premier League debut on the south coast.
His loan spell at Burnley for the 2022/23 season is when he truly announced himself on the senior stage, netting 17 goals to help them clinch the Championship title. That caught the eye of Leverkusen, who forked out the eight-figure sum for him last summer.
He produced seven goal involvements in their remarkable Bundesliga campaign, which saw Xabi Alonso’s complete an invincible title triumph. In a poignant moment for Tella, he returned to north London as an unbeaten champion in pre-season for a friendly which Arsenal won 4-1.
“Going back to the Emirates as a champion, as an invincible as well, it’s a great feeling, and it’s an amazing feeling,” he said before the game. “The day that happened, when I got released, my whole world just came crashing down.
“That was probably the first time in my life I’d ever been rejected from something in a sense. I was one step away from ultimately fulfilling my dream for the club I support. It was really hard for me at the time.”
Tella has played his part in Xabi Alonso’s remarkable Bayer Leverkusen side (Image: Getty)
After securing victory in the German Super Cup in August, Tella bagged his fourth trophy within a mere 15 months following Leverkusen’s league and cup double. The tally could have reached five if they hadn’t suffered a loss to Atalanta in the Europa League final, marking their only defeat in the 2023/24 season.
Interestingly, that’s the same number of trophies that Arsenal have clinched since the end of the season he was released, including one FA Cup and three Community Shields. Despite his unfortunate exit, Tella is still a supporter of the club.
He added: “I always check the results. When we’re playing I’m always quick to see the lineups and how they’re doing. I’m still an Arsenal fan.”
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1960030/arsenal-release-nathan-tella-bayer-leverkusen