Nathan Tella reveals reason for leaving Arsenal after Bundesliga success

By Wale Mustapha

Nigeria forward Nathan Tella has revealed that his desire to develop as a player led to his departure from Arsenal, according to Nigeriafootball.ng.

The talented Nigerian winger spent a decade with the Gunners before being released in 2017 after failing to break into the first team.

In his quest for regular playing time and improvement, the 24-year-old faced rejections from Reading and Norwich City before eventually finding a place at Southampton.

After a loan spell at Burnley last season, Tella was sold to Bayer Leverkusen, the newly crowned Bundesliga champions, last summer.

Despite limited playing time, Tella played a significant role in Leverkusen’s historic Bundesliga triumph as the club are in the final of the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Europa League semi-final.

“It was tough because Arsenal was all I knew from the age of six when I got scouted,” Tella he told VAVEL.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do—maybe stay at Arsenal and try to force their hand, or go out on trials.

“After speaking with my family and agent, they encouraged me to go on trials to see what I could do and get out of my comfort zone.”