I was embarrassed to be released by Arsenal - but have now won back-to-back titles

A former Arsenal youth product, who the club let go has just clinched his second league title., after not being offered a professional contract with the Gunners.

After more than a decade in the club's academy, Nathan Tella, who is now an international player for Nigeria, was not offered a professional contract and instead joined Southampton. However, he has since overcome this setback and is currently thriving under Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen. Tella was part of the same cohort as Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson but did not make the cut in north London and was subsequently let go.

As reported by football.london, Tella was initially chosen over Brooklyn Beckham for a scholarship contract in 2015, but struggled to secure a regular starting position for the Under-23s due to the abundance of talent in wide areas. Upon learning that he would not be retained, Tella decided to join Southampton and their renowned academy. He aimed to emulate the success of academy graduates such as Gareth Bale, Matt Le Tissier, and Adam Lallana, and set out to impress his new club.

Three years after moving to the south, Tella made his first-team debut for the club in a 3-0 Premier League victory against Norwich. Within a year, he started playing regularly for the Saints, signed a new contract, and then joined recently-relegated Burnley on loan last season.

As a fan favourite under Vincent Kompany, he swiftly led the Clarets to bag the Championship title with an impressive 17 goals in 39 appearances. Despite this, Burnley and Southampton didn't succeed in agreeing on a permanent signing fee, leading Leverkusen to seize the opportunity and secure the former Arsenal youth for a rumoured £20million.

The 24 year old has cemented his place as a