Nathan Tella Reflects On How He Coped With Arsenal Rejection

Super Eagles of Nigeria winger, Nathan Tella, said he was confused when Arsenal decided to release him from the club’s youth system.

Nathan Tella joined the Arsenal youth system at 6 years old and gained promotion to the club’s under-18 team on July 1, 2015.

Tella went on trials in 2017 and joined the team’s under-21 team on April 21, 2017. He gained promotion to the club’s senior team on July 1, 2020.

After spending the 2022-2023 season on loan at Burnley, he moved to German Bundesliga side, Bayer Leverkusen on a permanent deal on August 27, 2023, for a transfer fee worth £23.20 million.

So far in the 2023-2024 season, Nathan Tella has played 36 games, scoring seven goals and providing four assists in all competitions.

Tella’s contribution to Bayer Leverkusen helped the club win their first-ever German Bundesliga title this season. They are on the verge of winning two more titles – the Europa League, and the DFB-POKAL.

On how he coped with the setback of being kicked out of Arsenal as a teenager, the 24-year-old winger told VAVEL that it was a tough experience.

“I couldn’t believe it, Arsenal was all I knew from the age of six when I got scouted”, Tella said.

“It was tough because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Maybe stay at Arsenal, try to force their hand and make another decision, or if I was to go out on trials. I spoke to my family, I spoke to my agent they said it’s best to go on trials to see what I can do and get out of my comfort zone.”

He added, “It was tough because I didn’t know what I wanted to do.”

Note that Nathan Tella made his international debut for the Nigerian Super Eagles on November 19, 2023. Since then, he has played just once for the country.