By Wale Mustapha
Nigerian winger Nathan Tella has expressed confidence in newly appointed Bayer Leverkusen manager Erik ten Hag, backing the Dutchman to build on the club’s recent success following Xabi Alonso’s departure to Real Madrid.
Ten Hag was recently unveiled as Alonso’s successor at the Bundesliga champions, but the appointment has drawn mixed reactions due to his mixed tenure at Manchester United.
Tella, who played a key role in Leverkusen’s title-winning campaign, said he is optimistic about working under Ten Hag and dismissed the criticism surrounding his managerial record.
“I’m looking forward to it [playing for Ten Hag] a lot. I think he is a very good manager,” Tella told Flashscore.
“I know, obviously, people are short-sighted and look at only what he’s done at Man United, but people forget he’s won two trophies with them, and what he did with Ajax.”
The 24-year-old also pointed to Ten Hag’s successful spell at Ajax and the fact that he was hired by Manchester United as evidence of his managerial pedigree.
“To even get a job at Manchester United from Ajax shows he must be doing something incredible,” he said.
“Even if it didn’t go the way people wanted, getting the Leverkusen job shows he’s still considered a high-quality manager—especially given who he’s replacing.”
Tella is hoping to secure more playing time under the new manager and help Leverkusen maintain their dominance in German football next season.
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.
