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."
The Werkself consolidated their position among the top teams in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga thanks to a last-minute goal on Wednesday evening. Roberto Pätzold’s team beat Hamburger SV 2-1 at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Kristin Kögel (14’) and Caroline Kehrer (90’+5) scored for Bayer 04. The result takes Bayer 04 Women onto 19 points, third in the table behind top two Bayern Munich (25) and VfL Wolfsburg (22).
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One Bayer 04 player in particular is looking forward to the Werkself’s Champions League match away at Benfica on Wednesday 5 November (kick-off at 21:00 CET). Alejandro Grimaldo returns to his old stomping ground for the first time since he joined Bayer 04 two years ago. He encounters a Portuguese side that are unbeaten in the domestic league but under pressure in the UEFA Champions League having not taken any points, even under new coach José Mourinho. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in Lisbon.
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For the first time this season, the Bayer Leverkusen U19s were beaten in the UEFA Youth League. After two wins and a draw, Bayer 04 lost 5-0 at Benfica on matchday 4. The goals for the home side were scored by Goncalo Moreira (9’, 40’) and Francisco Silva (43’) in the first half. After the restart, Eduardo Fernandes (48’) and Gil Neves (55’) completed the scoring.
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He is the best example of how far successful and professional youth development can go: Kai Havertz joined Bayer 04 from Alemannia Aachen at the age of eleven. At 17, the Germany international made his first appearance for the senior team, graduated from high school in Leverkusen and is still the youngest player ever to make one hundred appearances in the Bundesliga. From London, where he plays for top club Arsenal, Havertz is closely following the discussion about the Bayer 04 Campus and, like more than 11,000 other supporters, has signed the petition launched by Bayer 04 fans from Monheim am Rhein.
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