Nathan Tella to return to boyhood club Arsenal as Bayer Leverkusen invincible

Nathan Tella will return to boyhood club Arsenal for a pre-season friendly as an invincible with the Bayer Leverkusen winger pleased to have taken a roundabout route to success.

The 25-year-old was a surprise signing for Leverkusen last summer but went on to play his part in their unbeaten league campaign which saw the club claim their first ever Bundesliga crown.

Under Xabi Alonso, the German outfit also won the DFB-Pokal and were beaten Europa League finalists in what was a memorable season at the BayArena.

Tella had spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Burnley in the second tier having struggled to break into the side at Southampton – who he joined after being released by Arsenal’s academy aged 18.

A serious knee injury and unsuccessful trials at Reading and Norwich are now in the distant past as the Nigeria forward looks ahead to playing at the Emirates Stadium having replicated the success of Arsene Wenger’s 2003-04 Invincibles.

“I think obviously at Southampton, I hadn’t really played much in the Premier League and for me that was a nice feeling to play at the Emirates in front of the Southampton fans and obviously the Arsenal fans and, more importantly, my family, because they’ve been with me the whole journey,” he said.

“But I think now, especially going back to the Emirates as a champion, as an invincible as well, it’s a great feeling, and it’s an amazing feeling.

“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’d worked so hard to get to the level I am and technically it’s the last step before you think of yourself as a professional footballer for Arsenal. I might say I was this close to doing it, or this close to doing it. I was one step away from ultimately fulfilling my dream for the club I support.”

Tella scored five goals in 25 Bundesliga appearances last season as Leverkusen upset the odds to end Bayern Munich’s 11-year hold on the title.

While Arsenal were awarded a special golden Premier League replica trophy for going the season unbeaten under Wenger two decades ago, Tella revealed it was former Gunners midfielder Granit Xhaka who made sure the Leverkusen squad had something to remember their achievements by.

“I don’t think they’re going to give us a golden trophy, that would be nice,” he added.

“Granit and the club, they organised it for us, we all got Rolexes on behalf of the club, which was a great feeling, a great gesture for all of us to have the same watch, just to remember something as special as that.

“Jeremy (Frimpong) as well, he brought us all, you know the NBA ring, the Championship ring? We got everyone in the team with our number engraved on it and the Leverkusen logo on the ring.”

Tella admitted he will not wear the Rolex or his championship ring out and about, while his winner’s medal is with his parents in England.

“I think only since I’ve come back to pre-season, I’ve come to terms with it properly,” he said of his remarkable first year in Germany.

“This is my first pre-season as a champion, officially, essentially, of the league and I’m really looking forward to what the season has to come and has to offer.

“Obviously, the main thing is now for me is just to continue on the same trajectory as we did last year, individually and collectively as a team.”

Tella also praised Alonso for developing his game by “leaps and bounds” while also being able to offer an insight into Vincent Kompany taking the reins at rivals Bayern – having been signed by the Belgian at Burnley.

“It didn’t surprise me at all,” he said of Kompany’s unexpected appointment,

“Having spent a season with him and knowing how good a manager he is, it’s not surprising that one of the biggest teams in the world have gone for him because of the style of football he wanted to play.

“Of course, it looks strange that he’s gone from being relegated from the Premier League to Bayern Munich but I think when he’s there, everyone’s going to see the sides of him we saw in the Championship.

“He’s a very good manager and I hope he’s very successful, but I’d rather us win the league!”