By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Nigeria winger Nathan Tella has dismissed speculation linking him with a move away from Bayer Leverkusen, insisting he remains happy at the Bundesliga champions despite the departure of manager Xabi Alonso.
Tella, who joined Leverkusen in 2023 from Southampton on a five-year deal, played a key role in the club’s historic 2023/24 campaign, which saw them end Bayern Munich’s long-standing dominance to win their first-ever Bundesliga title.
In an interview with Flashscore, the 24-year-old expressed gratitude for the opportunity to play for the German club and reaffirmed his commitment to staying.
“I’m still happy to be here at Bayer Leverkusen. I want to stay. This is the club that signed me, and it’s an honour,” Tella said.
“When I first heard they wanted to sign me, I kind of couldn’t believe it because I was playing in the second division. To have a team of that stature show interest was incredible.”
“But the fact that I was able to sign, play, and win trophies with them—I still feel like I’ve got more to give. So, I’m really looking forward to my future here.”
With Erik ten Hag now confirmed to take charge at Leverkusen, Tella is expected to play an important role as the team prepares for a challenging 2024/25 season across domestic and European competitions.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
