Nathan Tella’s increasingly growing level of confidence would help his club Southampton and Nigeria, his potential destination for international duty.
Looking back at how the youngster has quickly established himself as a proper first-team player at Southampton lately shows there’s more to come from him.
The English Premier League indeed provides a level playing ground, and this can be seen in Nathan Tella, who has quickly accelerated his career to the next level.
But how woud he permanently grab the position of a starter in a team full of players at the average level with some yet to fully achieve potentials at the club?
For Southampton it is looking quite great and that the future holds bright for them having young players like Tella and the likes within their ranks.
But moving over his international career, the Super Eagles of Nigeria are really in need of that decisive midfield maestro which was lost since the departure of John Obi Mikel, who served the country well on the international scene.
The expectations from Nathan Tella
Born 5 July 1999, the 21-year old English professional footballer who plays a major role in his prefered midfield position has a lot to offer at the moment.
At least, his well-timed assist provided during the FA Cup fifth-round tie with Wolverhampton Wanderers which handed an all-important win to the Saints says it all.
Also, the game against Liverpool where the club forced the Anfield landlords to a draw proved to be another stats, board maker.
These and more games he’d played so far showed to many, his unique abilities.
Although goals could be his major problem, he is always the best when it comes to the final third at his age.
The question lies, would Nathan Tella break into Southampton’s first team as a permanent member?
This will rely on how his level of consistency convinces the manager of the club who already see him as a jewel.
The 2020/2021 Premier League season appears to be out of the bag for the Saints at the moment with the club’s current placement on the league table.
The woes of the club became even worse after bowing out of the Emirates FA Cup in the semifinals to Leicester City courtesy of Kelechi Iheanacho goal in the 55th minute.
However, what matters the most is the ever-growing level of confidence he has had since the start of the new football season in England and there’s still more to offer next season.
What he offers Southampton
A midfielder and can play as a right-winger, the problem at Southampton could be attributed to the firepower in the attack and how decisive the midfielders are when it comes to making decisions in the final third.
Since the start of the season, the team’s midfield has been exploited by several teams in the league more especially the big sides in the division.
This has caused the club’s lots of problems including losing games that shouldn’t have been lost in the first place.
The problems in the team’s core areas were behind the disgraceful 9-0 loss to Manchester United in the English Premier League which was played at Old Trafford.
A game that further exposed the team’s flaws. Back in 2019, the Saints also suffered a similarly heavy defeat by losing to Leicester City by 9-0.
Oriol Romeu, James Ward-Prowse, the top shots in the midfield as Tella would have to battle with Ibrahima Diallo and Theo Walcott who’s currently on loan from fellow EPL side Everton FC.
What he offers Southampton are very enormous at this point. His ability to make successful tackles measured to be about 80% per cent success.
His cross accuracy and the ability to win duels on a one on one basis forms the major package he could bring to the senior team if he becomes a permanent member of the squad.
Ahead of the all-important FA Cup semifinals clash between the saints and Leicester which was eventually lost, Francis Benali former defender of the club gave a very encouraging and very big statement.
“Any chance the young players get they’ve got to grab.
Somebody like Nathan will blow a little bit hot and cold. But he’s got the directness and pace to scare any team. And that could be a benefit in the semi-final against Leicester on Sunday” said the former club defender according to Givemesport.
In the game against Leicester City, Nathan Tella was introduced, but there’s no way he could help save his club from elimination from the FA Cup even as Leicester City resulted to play more defensive football after Iheanacho had scored the only goal of the game.
For Tella, this is one of the best moments to steal the heart of the manager, even though Ralph already believes in what he can offer when he is on the field of play.
What next?
As the Premier League season gradually winds down, the plans for the new season would begin thereafter. But would there be another opportunity for him?
Would Southampton consider selling the young and vibrant midfielder or would he grab the first team shirt permanently?
The club’s plans for summer are not yet known. But Theo Walcott could be on his way back to Everton and there could be more room for the 21-year old to exploit without having much to worry about.
An undecided international future still lurking
As things stand currently, Nathan Tella is yet to fully commit his future to the Three Lions of England nor the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
However, a lot has spoken of in the past, linking the interesting midfielder switching his allegiance to Nigeria over England.
But with the look of things, everything favours switching allegiance to West African country.
What he offers Nigeria
Right now, the country needs a midfielder of his quality with the right final decision making quality. At least, this could be seen during the AFCON Qualifiers against the Benin Republic and Lesotho.
Most midfield needs improvement and the West Africans see him as the best option even as the country prepares for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers for Qatar in 2022.
For his Nigerian future, see the five clear qualities he posses and how the country will benefit if decides to play for them.
The 2020/2021 football season in england promises to be explosive. Hopefully, lots of changes will take place at the club even as calls from fans as it relates to performance across board.
