Nathan Tella update should come as no surprise as Burnley eye Southampton star.

 

The 24-year-old stepped up to the plate on the opening night of the Championship campaign, putting the Saints 1-0 up against Sheffield Wednesday on Friday and

playing his part in their 2-1 victory.

But there have been question marks over his future following such a productive 2022/23 campaign, going out on loan to then-Championship side Burnley and

scoring 17 league goals.

Are Burnley interested in Nathan Tella?

 

 

 

The Clarets, who were without Jay Rodriguez for a chunk of the campaign, benefitted hugely from having the winger at their disposal and with this, it comes as no

surprise that they are interested in securing a permanent deal for him.

But the Saints’ stance on the player is a real blow for them in their quest to get an agreement over the line – and his price tag could potentially force Vincent

Kompany’s side out of the race.

At this point, Russell Martin’s side are reportedly demanding between £15m-£20m for Tella and they have the license to do this considering he still has two years

left on his contract.

But if the 24-year-old puts pen to paper on a new deal, that would all but rule out a return to Turf Moor for the winger.

Why is Southampton’s stance on Nathan Tella no surprise?

 

 

 

There are a couple of key reasons why the Saints’ stance on the 24-year-old isn’t a shock.

Firstly, he already has promotion-winning experience under his belt and that will be extremely valuable for head coach Martin who will want as many proven

winners in his dressing room as possible.

The winger already knows what it takes to be part of the best team in the Championship and there’s no doubt the Saints’ boss will be drawing on that knowledge

throughout the 2023/24 campaign if Tella remains on the south coast.

Proven goalscorers at this level don’t come cheap, so the Saints will want to retain as many as possible and this is why it’s no surprise that they want to keep hold of

Tella.

Che Adams and Adam Armstrong have been linked with moves away from St Mary’s this summer, so keeping someone like the 24-year-old could help them to

compensate for potential departures between now and the end of the summer transfer window.

You also have to say the potential sales of others could also give them the license to keep hold of Tella.

The club do need to balance the books following their relegation from the Premier League and they have already cashed in on Mislav Orsic, with Tino Livramento

looking set to depart too.

James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia could also be sold, which could allow the Saints to both retain Tella and hand him a bumper deal with some of the money

they generate from sales.

This isn’t ideal for the Clarets, who will be desperate to secure an agreement for their former loanee after seeing him thrive during the 2022/23 campaign.