Tella reveals Henry and Walcott are his idols, where Bayer Leverkusen would have finished in PL last season 

Nathan Tella has named Thierry Henry and Theo Walcott as his role models while growing up and revealed Jack Wilshere as the player he looked up to while he was in the Arsenal academy.

The Bayer Leverkusen forward is a product of the famous Hale End Academy and spent a decade at Arsenal before his departure in 2017 and as result his choices come as no surprise.

Henry is arguably the Gunners all-time best player of all time and it is unsurprising that some former and present players of the club see him as their idol.

Walcott may not be as heralded as the Premier League Hall of Famer but his time with the north London side will be remembered with fondness as he scored 108 goals in 397 appearances.

Speaking to Rising Ballers, Tella revealed the two former Arsenal players as the ones he looked up to while growing up as a footballer.

"I think at the start it was Thierry Henry. I think it was the last season at Hybrid when I first had my first memory of him in the Arsenal shirt watching him play and from then just how he carried himself on the pitch, the runs, the goals," Tella stated.

"Even as a leader and a captain, I say he was the first person I looked up to and sort of tried to model my game at and then as I was growing older, there was Theo Walcott as well.

"I looked up to Theo Walcott as a young player because he made that transition from Southampton to Arsenal at 16 and he was thrusted into the spotlight and in my head I was like why can't I be the next young person who does something like that and just looking at him, at his journey and hopefully trying to emulate how he played and have a career like his".

Asked about who he idolized during his time at the Hale End Academy, the 25-year-old revealed that he was endeared to Jack Wilshere.

Like the Nigerian forward, Wilshere came through the English giants' youth ranks and held the record as the club's youngest Premier league debutant before Ethan Nwaneri broke same in the 2022/2023 campaign.

"I think the main one was Jack Wilshere,because you know he was the next one who got through into the first team from a young age. He did the whole journey through Hale End, made his debut, and then was in the first team."

"So, I think a lot of younger players looked at him as an inspiration and the next one to get through and I think a lot of players wanted to be like that and be the next one to get through"

Having been a part of the magnificent Bayer Leverkusen side last season, he was asked about where the German side would have finished in the Premier League last season and gave a modest answer.

"I think that is a tough question because we only played one English team last year, West Ham and I couldn't say to be honest. I would like to say we would finish in the top six because I felt we were that good..

"You know we didn't lose a game and that adds to the thought process of where I put us in but I am going to go conservative and say top six"

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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