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Nigeria Super Eagles winger Nathan Tella and Bayer Leverkusen are guests at the Emirates seven years after Arsenal rejected the academy graduate.
Nigeria Super Eagles winger Nathan Tella and his Bayer Leverkusen teammates will visit the Emirates Stadium today, seven years after the Gunners released the young player from their academy.
Tella, who joined Arsenal at the tender age of eight, had always dreamed of playing for the senior team. However, that dream was shattered when the club decided to let him go at the age of 18.
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Tella recalls painful Arsenal experience
"My whole world just came crashing down," Tella recalls the painful memory according to Football London. "That was probably the first time in my life I'd ever been rejected from something in a sense.
"I'd worked so hard to get to the level I am and technically it's the last step before you think of yourself as a professional footballer for Arsenal. I was one step away from ultimately fulfilling my dream for the club I support."
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After his release from Arsenal, Tella went on trials at Reading and Norwich before eventually finding a home at Southampton. However, an unfortunate injury limited his appearances for the Saints, leading to a loan move to Burnley, where he flourished.
Tella's impressive form for Burnley caught the eye of Bayer Leverkusen, who snapped up the versatile winger.
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In his debut season with the Bundesliga champions, Tella played a crucial role as Leverkusen completed an invincible campaign and won the league title.
Now, as Tella and Leverkusen prepare to face Arsenal in a pre-season friendly, the Nigerian is relishing the opportunity to return to the Emirates as a champion just as his teammate Granit Xhaka, former Arsenal skipper.
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"I think now, especially going back to the Emirates as a champion, as an invincible as well, it's an amazing feeling," Tella says.
"My main focus is the game and to play as well as I can and a win for Leverkusen would be great but just to be able to play in front of my family and my friends at the Emirates as an Arsenal fan and a family of Arsenal fans, is very good feeling for me as well."
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The match at the Emirates Stadium is set to be an emotional homecoming for Tella, who has come a long way since his painful rejection from the club he once dreamed of playing for.
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