From Arsenal Reject to Bundesliga Champion: Nathan Tella's Journey Back to the Emirates

As an Arsenal supporter and a product of our Hale End academy, Bayer Leverkusen’s Nathan Tella is eagerly anticipating his return to north London on Wednesday night.

The skilful winger joined our academy at the age of seven and spent the next 10 years progressing through our youth ranks, but as a member of our fiercely-competitive intake of 2015/16, opportunities were limited and Tella was forced to make a name for himself elsewhere.

A permanent move to Southampton followed a series of trials, and after an outstanding season on loan at Burnley in 2022/23, Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen came calling.

On Wednesday, Tella returns as a Bundesliga and DFB Pokal champion, ready to step out on his childhood stadium of dreams.

“Wednesday’s game definitely feels like a homecoming for me,” said Tella. “I'm still an Arsenal fan and I always look out for Arsenal's results. The club means a lot to me.

“Obviously, I had a few experiences here when I was at Southampton playing against Arsenal, but having an opportunity to come back here again is a really big thing for me. It's a real full circle moment. I grew up here and I used to watch all the games dreaming that one day I'll be able to play here. It obviously didn't work out for me at Arsenal, which hurt at the time, but every cloud has a silver lining and I’m so grateful for what Arsenal gave me as a kid.”

Tella grew up playing with the likes of Eddie Nketiah, Josh Dasilva and Joe Willock to name but a few.

“Even when I speak to my friends, family and people in football now, I always say that the team I was in at Arsenal was one of the most talented age groups around. So many players have come through and made careers for themselves at all kinds of different levels, and so I think we’ve all done really well for ourselves, but it doesn’t surprise me one bit. We were a really talented group working under some really good coaches. I’m still so thankful to have spent my youth career at Arsenal.

“I’m still in touch with a fair few of the lads and when I come back I’m looking forward to catching up with Eddie and Reiss. I’ve always looked out for how they’re doing, whether they’ve played and whether they’ve scored at the weekend.”

Tella was released by the club aged 17 after failing to secure a professional contract, but he believes that moment played an important part in his development as a player and as a person too.

“That was a really difficult time for me because at 17 years old, Arsenal was all I’d ever known. I’d been at the club since I was seven and all of my friends were there too, we’d grown up together and we all shared that dream of playing for Arsenal one day. But when my time at Arsenal came to an end, I knew I had to step things up and make a name for myself elsewhere.

“I told my family that I want to prove people wrong and I don't want it to be a case of ‘oh, he's not made it at Arsenal, so he's not going to have a career.’ I've always said and believed that I could be a professional footballer. I wanted to play in the Premier League and I wanted to play against the best teams in the world. I went on a few trials and thankfully Southampton gave me the chance that I needed, but that didn’t make me relax. It made me want to work harder than ever before.”

So, what advice would Tella give to any young players who find themselves in a difficult moment after being released?

“You can’t let a ‘negative’ moment like that shape you or determine how your career is going to be. Use it as fuel to prove people wrong and make the best for yourself. Don’t take it as you not being good enough, try to reframe it and tell yourself that it might not be the right time for you. Remain positive and tell yourself that it might be a blessing in disguise and a challenge to become the best version of yourself.

“I could have allowed that moment to bring me down, but now I’m coming back to Emirates Stadium as a champion of Germany. Playing on this pitch was always my childhood dream. It’s crazy to think about really. Whatever happens in my career, I’ll always remember that.”

Of course, we had to ask Tella about his Bayer Leverkusen teammate, Granit Xhaka.

“He's great! As an Arsenal fan, I always saw what he brought to the team and so when I knew I would be playing with him, I knew exactly what qualities he would give us. He’s amazing and he helped us right from day one as a leader. He came with so much experience and everyone speaks so highly of him. He’s got respect from everyone in the dressing room and he also gives us the same respect, no matter what your age or experience is. He’s a brilliant person and player.

“I’ve learned a lot since being at Bayer Leverkusen. When I signed, I would say that I was a one-dimensional player. I didn't have too many ways to mix up my game. I knew what worked well for me and so I would keep doing it, but that was only getting me so far. But playing under Xabi Alonso with his whole idea of football and how he wants to control the game, he really opened my eyes.

“He showed me how we can progress through the thirds, how we can control the defence while we’re attacking, how we can start counter-attacks and how we can prevent the opposition counter-attacking us, but it's all in the most incredible detail. I know players talk about Mikel in the same way too.

“I think it’s going to be a really exciting game between us. I’m always excited to play a game any time of the year, but to have the chance to play against Arsenal is another great opportunity for me, especially back in north London. I can’t wait for it.”

Mikel Arteta has shuffled his pack for today’s friendly against Bayer Leverkusen, with David Raya and William Saliba getting their first minutes of pre-season.

The duo are included in our starting line-up for the game against the German champions, having represented their nations during Euro 2024 and thus missing our US Tour to allow them time to recover.

Also given time off were Aaron Ramsdale, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka and all three are included on our bench, while Leandro Trossard, Fabio Vieira and Jorginho all come into our line-up having been substitutes in our last game against Liverpool a week ago.

Leverkusen meanwhile have named Granit Xhaka in their side for his first return to north London since departing last summer. Florian Wirtz also starts after starring last season to win the Bundesliga Player of the Year award, while Matej Kovar gets the nod to start in goal.

Summer signings Martin Terrier and Aleix Garcia also get the opportunity to play from the off, with former Gunners academy player Nathan Tella on the bench alongside last season's top scorer Victor Boniface.

Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Odegaard, Havertz, Vieira, Trossard, Jesus.Subs: Ramsdale, Setford, Lewis-Skelly, Nichols, Kiwior, Heaven, Partey, Rice, Nwaneri, Martinelli, Saka, Nelson, Nketiah.

Leverkusen: Kovar, Frimpong, Tah, Tapsoba, Kossounou, Hincapie, Xhaka, Garcia, Wirtz, Adli, Terrier.Subs: Hradecky, Lomb, Arthur, Belocin, Puerta, Andreich, Hofmann, Tella, Holzek, Boniface.