"I thought" - Nathan Tella makes transfer admission after Burnley, Southampton saga | OneFootball

Nathan Tella spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan at Burnley from Southampton before signing for Bayer Leverkusen

Highlights

Nathan Tella has admitted that he thought he was going to sign for Burnley last summer following his loan spell at Turf Moor.

The winger moved to the Lancashire outfit in the summer of 2022, joining on loan from Southampton after the Clarets suffered relegation to the Championship.

The 25-year-old was a standout talent in Vincent Kompany’s side, contributing 17 goals and five assists from 39 appearances in the second tier, helping the club clinch promotion back to the top flight (all stats from Fbref).

But he did not make the permanent move to Burnley, instead signing for Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2023.

The Nigerian scored five goals from 24 league appearances as Xabi Alonso guided the club to a first ever German league title.

Tella opens up on Burnley transfer failure

Tella has opened up on his summer move to Leverkusen in 2023, admitting that he thought he was going to sign for Burnley.

He praised his time at Turf Moor, claiming that he felt at home during his time on loan with the club.

“To be honest I thought I was going back to Burnley,” said Tella, via Rising Ballers on YouTube.

“But then the Leverkusen interest came in and I was kind of like ‘I don’t know how that interest came about, but I don’t really want to be scared to leave England’. I told myself ‘I want to do this’.

“The whole season [at Burnley] was amazing.

“From my first day when I walked in, I felt like there was a lot of togetherness. The fans really rallied behind us.

“We had a lot of individual quality and we could all do it in the team as well, so it made us look even better.

“I enjoyed every part of my time there. Even off the pitch, I had so much fun with the team. On the pitch it’s easy to have fun when you’re winning but the connection I built with the fans, that was another amazing feeling for me.

“As much as the fans at Southampton showed me love, I felt like Burnley…they knew nothing about me when I went there but I felt like they really changed how they felt about me.

“They got me and I got them.”

Nathan Tella's maiden Bayer Leverkusen season

Bayer Leverkusen paid a reported £20 million to sign Tella last season following his excellent loan spell with Burnley.

While he was unable to cement himself as a regular starter in Alonso’s side, he still contributed to their great success, as they won a domestic double while going unbeaten.

Their only loss of the entire term came in the Europa League final against Atalanta, where they suffered a 3-0 defeat in Dublin.

Tella has a contract with Leverkusen until the summer of 2028, and he will now be hoping to help the team retain their Bundesliga crown in 2025.

Burnley could’ve used Tella last season

Burnley lacked the creative attacking threat of Tella during their time in the Premier League last season.

While he alone might not have been enough to save their campaign, his arrival on a permanent basis could have helped in a year where survival was achievable.

Instead, Tella enjoyed a great year as part of the incredible Leverkusen story, with the German club winning their first ever title.

This has proved an excellent gamble for his career, and he will now even get to compete in the Champions League next season.