The 1.73 metre tall Tella went out on loan at the start of last season from Premier League club Southampton, who were then relegated from England's top flight, to Burnley in the Championship. Under coach Vincent Kompany, Tella played a key role in the Clarets winning the Championship title and gaining promotion before his return to Southampton.
The 24-year-old has signed a contract at Bayer 04 to 30 June 2028 and sporting managing director Simon Rolfes sees the signing as filling another important position in the squad: "We have gained a fast winger who can score, who brings experience with him but also has the potential to develop," said Rolfes. "Nathan gives our attack additional versatility and he will strengthen our team with his pace and quality on the pitch."
For Tella, who scored 19 goals and provided five assists in 45 games for Burnley, the move to Germany is a big step: "Lots of young players from the Premier League have had the chance to play in the Bundesliga and were able to improve significantly here. And I find the stadiums and the whole fan culture exciting," revealed the Englishman, who played three league games for Southampton this season, scoring once and providing one assist.
"Above all, the Leverkusen team is obviously the reason for my decision," said Tella. "They are an impressive team who reached the semi-finals in the Europa League last season. I really want to continue on that road with Bayer 04."
Once again, well over 100 Werkself fans were delighted to receive an invitation from the club’s record appearance-maker, Rüdiger Vollborn, to the sold-out Schwadbud at the BayArena. This time, the supporters listened as the club historian provided fascinating, exclusive insights into the period from Bayer 04 being founded in 1904 to the club’s promotion to the Bundesliga in 1979. A journey through time is also planned for the upcoming ‘Rudi lädt ein’ event in early November – this time focusing on the years of the Nazi regime.
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Happy children’s faces at the SSV Lützenkirchen training ground: For the 25th time, the Birkenberg soccer school – organised by SportBund Leverkusen – offered participating youngsters an exciting holiday activity. Meeting a Bayer 04 player has now become a cherished tradition. This time, Ibrahim Maza visited the 150 children and spoke to them about his World Cup experiences, amongst other things. “It’s always lovely to see the children’s enthusiasm for football,” said the 20-year-old, after bringing a sparkle to many eyes with selfies and autographs.
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One day after the successful DFB Pokal first round tie at SV Wehen Wiesbaden (4–0), the mood was understandably really good: Over 400 Bayer 04 supporters gathered on Sunday, 23 August, for the annual fan club meet-up at the BayArena and got in the mood for the new season through direct and informal discussions with Bayer 04 management, head coach Carles Martínez and Werkself players.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 2-0 win at RB Leipzig on the 1st matchday of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga 2026/27.
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