Bayer Leverkusen will head into the busy festive period with one less headache on the player-release front, yet there is an inevitable human side to Nathan Tella’s absence from Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 squad.
Speaking ahead of Leverkusen’s Bundesliga clash with Cologne, head coach Kasper Hjulmand was open about the situation, balancing the club’s immediate benefit against the personal disappointment for the winger.
Nathan Tella and the AFCON 2025 disappointment
Just hours before the Nigeria Football Federation unveiled its 28-man squad for the tournament in Morocco, expectations were high that Tella would make the cut.
Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes had already suggested the former Southampton man was likely to be part of the travelling party.
But Super Eagles manager Eric Chelle opted against calling up Tella, with the obvious reason of his return from a long-term injury just three weeks ago.
Fitness concerns ultimately outweighed form, leaving the 24-year-old on the sidelines.
For Leverkusen, retaining Tella represents a strategic advantage. With the club set to release four players for AFCON—Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso), Ibrahim Maza (Algeria), Christian Kofane (Cameroon), and Eliesse Ben Seghir (Morocco)—keeping a player of Tella’s calibre intact through a congested December-January schedule is a clear boost.
Bayer Leverkusen’s advantage amid AFCON absences
Hjulmand did not hide his awareness of this upside, yet his remarks carried empathy: “This is good for Leverkusen, of course. But Nathan had hopes, real hopes,” he told Die Zeit.
Tella’s journey to the Super Eagles has been swift. Once eligible for England, he was officially cap-tied to Nigeria after making his debut in a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe in November 2023.
That rapid rise makes missing the continent’s premier tournament all the more bitter, both for the player and for supporters who had anticipated his presence in Morocco.
From a tactical standpoint, Hjulmand now has an opportunity to deploy Tella in the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal without interruption, potentially smoothing his path back to full match fitness.
Yet the narrative is not purely about club advantage. Tella’s omission shows the fragile balance players face when returning from injury and the sometimes cruel timing of international tournaments.
Leverkusen will no doubt benefit from having Tella available.
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