‘Has the ability’– Xabi Alonso advises Peseiro on Leverkusen star Nathan Tella’s role in Super Eagles

Nathan Tella recently received his first call up to don the colours of the Super Eagles of Nigeria ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers

Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has offered insights to Super Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro on the capabilities of new invitee Nathan Tella, Soccernet.ng reports.

With Nigeria set to face Lesotho and Zimbabwe in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification tie, Tella secured his first national team call-up, following his impressive performance for Leverkusen.

Meanwhile, after the match against Union Berlin, Alonso praised Tella’s qualities and suggested how he could contribute effectively to the Super Eagles under Peseiro’s management.

“Nathan is a player that has the ability to just do the right thing, be in the right place. He has the quality to be in the box and makes the right runs. In Nigeria, they have great strikers, and maybe they could use good wingers. He’s a really nice guy with a strong mentality, he has a great attitude,” Alonso stated, as quoted by Bayer Leverkusen’s official X (Formerly Twitter) page.

💬 #Alonso: “Nathan is a player that has the ability to just do the right thing, be in the right place, he has the quality to be in the box and makes the right runs. In Nigeria they have great strikers and maybe they could use good wingers. He’s a really nice guy with a strong… pic.twitter.com/XgWKXcdTDm

— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) November 12, 2023

As Tella prepares for his first international duty with the three-time Africa Cup of Nations champions against the Warriors and Crocodiles, he aims to carry his club form into the national team setup.