The Super Eagles came off the 2025 Unity Cup with a victory before playing a draw against Russia in June…
Three-time English Premier League winners Leeds United have joined two top-flight sides in pursuit of Super Eagles and Bayer 04 Leverkusen star Nathan Tella, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 26-year-old joined Die Werkself from Southampton for €23.3m in the summer of 2023 and went on the win the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal titles under Xabi Alonso.
However, Tella has mostly been a squad player at the Bay Arena, even airing his displeasure about the fact that he doesn’t get enough playing time.
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While he’ll be hoping things change under Ten Hag, there is simply no assurance of what’s to come until the season officially kicks off.
According to a report by Graeme Bailey on TBR Football, Nathan Tella has garnered interest from Leeds United, who are keen on bringing in an attacker in a bid to stay in the English Premier League after their promotion from the EFL Championship.
The Whites are looking for a versatile attack-minded player, and Tella fits that spot as he’s played as a wing-back and a winger with Bayer Leverkusen.
The West Yorkshire outfit recently sent scouts to watch the Stevenage-born Super Eagles star in his side’s loss to Chelsea last year.
However, Daniel Farke’s side have to fight off competition from Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley, and Nottingham Forest for Tella’s signature in the summer transfer window.
A Premier League return for Tella?
The Nigerian attacker has scored 10 goals and provided 11 assists in 79 games for Leverkusen across all competitions. Still, the numbers do not justify the performance of the 26-year-old.
Bar Nottingham Forest, none of the clubs interested in Tella are playing in the UEFA Champions League, meaning he’ll have to forgo playing the biggest club competition, should he choose to return to England.
On the flip side, the assurance of playing time could appeal to the versatile forward, alongside the fact that he’ll be returning home.
Still, any of these clubs could easily be languishing in the EFL Championship if things don’t go right in the coming season.
Tella’s Premier League and Champions League experience will undoubtedly be an addition to these sides, but a return to England will be a tougher decision to make if the offer comes from a top-five English Premier League team.
In the meantime, Leverkusen are preparing for a new tenure under Erik Ten Hag. The Bundesliga season kicks off on the 22nd of August, and the personnel shuffle at the club might take a toll on the team.
Leverkusen have already parted ways with Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool), Jeremie Frimpong (Liverpool), Odillon Kossounou (Atalanta), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich), Granit Xhaka (Sunderland) and Lukas Hradecky (AS Monaco), all of whom were a core part of their title-winning campaign.
Losing Tella would mean parting ways with the core members of the richest season in the club’s history.