Super Eagles forward Nathan Tella has expressed his frustration with limited playing opportunities at Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen. The former Southampton star, who joined Leverkusen in the summer of 2023 for €23 million, impressed during his debut season with 11 goal involvements in 39 appearances, helping the team win both the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal titles.

However, in the current season, Tella has struggled to break into Xabi Alonso’s starting lineup, starting just one Bundesliga game out of six and logging only 224 minutes across all competitions. He was also left out of Nigeria’s squad for their recent international fixtures.

Tella revealed that he has had conversations with Alonso, who advised him to stay patient and assured him of future opportunities. While the versatile forward prefers playing in attacking roles, he has found himself deployed as a wing-back, a position he admits is challenging but necessary for the team.

Despite his frustrations, Tella remains focused on performing well when given a chance.