Southampton coaching staff made Nathan Tella prediction before Bayer Leverkusen move | OneFootball

Highlights

It seems Southampton's coaching staff have predicted big things for Nathan Tella following his departure from the club to join Bayer Leverkusen in the summer transfer window.

That's after a report from The Athletic revealed just what the Saints' behind the scenes expected the attacker to do in his debut campaign in the Bundesliga this season.

How has Tella's career gone so far?

Tella first came through the academy ranks at Southampton, before making his senior debut for the Saints late in the 2019/20 season.

The attacker then went on to make a number of appearances for the Saints over the next two seasons, although he was never able to establish himself as a regular feature in the starting lineup.

However, that would change during a loan spell at Burnley last season, where Tella scored 19 goals and provided five assists in 45 appearances in all competitions for the Clarets, firing them to promotion from the Championship back to the Premier League.

But with Southampton themselves suffering relegation at the same time, Tella found himself back in the second-tier at the start of the current campaign.

He went on to score one goal and provide one assist in the Saints opening three league games of this season.

Despite that, his return to Southampton after that loan spell was a brief one, with Tella departing the club late in August, joining Leverkusen on a five-year contract, for a fee reported to be worth in the region of £20million.

Now it seems that the coaching staff at Southampton, were expecting the 24-year-old to make an immediate impact in the wake of his move to Germany.

What did Southampton's staff expect from Tella at Leverkusen?

In the wake of what he did at Burnley last season, it appears those who know Tella from his time with Southampton, were confident about his prospects of success with Leverkusen.

According to this latest update from The Athletic, the Saints' coaching staff were tipping Tella to score 15 goals or more for the Bundesliga club this season.

Is Tella likely to meet the expectations of the Southampton coaching staff at Leverkusen this season?

Right now, it appears as though Tella is going to be facing something of a challenge if he is to break the 15-goal mark for Leverkusen this season.

The attacker has made just two substitute appearances in the Bundesliga so far this season, with his one start coming in a 4-0 thrashing of Hacken in the Europa League.

Tella is still waiting for his first goal in Leverkusen colours, and given they have started this season in impressive form, sitting second in the German top-flight behind only Bayern Munich, it does look as though it could be tough for the 24-year-old to force his way into their side anytime soon.

That will of course, make it hard for him to get those goals, although the talent he showed last season suggests he could take his opportunity when it comes.

Meanwhile, with a five-year contract under his belt, there is obviously no need for Tella to be rushed into making an impression for Leverkusen, when there is still so much time in which he could do that.