This is a pivotal year for Nathan Tella. With less than twelve months remaining on his scholarship deal, the diminutive winger knows that he must impress sufficiently in order to earn a professional contract at the club at which he has progressed through the ranks.
All appeared to be going well, with the 17-year-old producing some encouraging performances during pre-season (he was one of the few youngsters to stand out in the chastening defeat to Boreham Wood).
Then disaster struck, with Tella suffering an injury before the start of the campaign that would keep him sidelined for two months. The limited time-frame that he had to impress had just diminished even further.
One of the most satisfying aspects of football, however, is when an individual has an opportunity to go from peripheral figure to centre stage in an instant. That is exactly what happened to Tella last weekend when, having been named in the U18 squad for the first time this season, he emerged off the bench to score what proved to be the decisive goal in the 4-3 victory away to Tottenham Hotspur.
Even at U18 level, a game against the club’s fiercest rivals is a momentous occasion for the players involved and Tella appeared determined to make an impact from the instant he entered the field as a substitute. He did just that, with the Hale End product embarking on a slaloming run downfield before finishing expertly.
Tella isn’t a prolific goalscorer, but this strike was of an extremely high standard. His celebration was even more dramatic and the outpouring of emotion was palpable. Those two months of frustration evaporated in an instant as the prospect re-introduced himself in the best way possible.
The task, though, is far from complete. Arsenal possess an abundance of talented wide options at U18 level and it will be a sizeable task for Tella to re-establish himself in the starting line-up for Kwame Ampadu’s side.
Tella will have to seize every opportunity he is afforded this season if he is to earn an extended stay at the club, but his impact against Tottenham offered a tantalising glimpse into his ability, and he will be hopeful that, after an agonising start, this could turn out to be a glorious season from a personal perspective.
Cool
Scoring against spuds is just what the doctor ordered.
Good lad.
Shout out to Jorge Bird. Unsung hero of Arsenal bloggers.
Thanks.
Love reading about our talented youth.
He has a brother called Nut. I’ve heard he’s also pretty tasty.
Isn’t that just him? – Nat Tella contains a lot of energy, I’m licking my licks at his potential.
I heard he loves being rubbed all over….
Hope he keeps it up
And his sister Fortune, has also predicted a great future for him.
What a shit load of pressure to be honest. I know it’s a game and Blogs’ recent…errr…blog, highkights just that. But I can’t imagine stepping out at 17 knowing that it might come down to one game whether I get the chance to kick on to £200k a week and a football at the highest level.
Especially since so much of the judgements are manager opinions and if you are being used right and not just stats.
He rarely gets injured, he has very strong knees. He gets that from his Pa.
*Darnito, u guys left the tough one for me :S
The kid is magic like his brother Penn and.
Nickname: Nutella
He also has a younger brother. Very talented but has a bad habit of long-winded, elaborate excuses when late for training. His name’s Story.
I hear his father Bank has lots of money.
Jeez how many bad jokes on a single page
I like his creativity, he’s really got that strong vision when it comes to finding the right pass. Rumor has it when he was younger, he used to watch a lot of football on Tellavision
**Searching desperately for the dullest knife I can find to cut my wrist. This knife is too sharp, I think I’ll use a pen instead.**
He’s got an eye for a pass too,Tella-vision
It a long tough road ahead let’s hope than Nathan produces his best to be offered his pro deal but if not I hope he makes it elsewhere.
Life of young footballer is hard
when he goes in for a slide tackle he reminds me of Patrick vieira because he has tellascopic legs
if he does sign a contract, he is not going to lose his head. he is going to pass all his new found money to his Dad, Bank, for safe keeping.
Apparently his recovery was down to eating fruit. 🙂
Fruitella
If he becomes a star, can we change his first initial to ‘S’?
he needs to give up smoking too. Remember what happened to his brother Pana,
Stella!