Super Eagles Recall: Why Nathan Tella's form is impossible for Chelle to ignore

• Tella scored and assisted as Leverkusen demolished RB Leipzig 4-1, creating 3 chances (2 big) in 77 minutes.

• He has 3 goal contributions in his last 2 Bundesliga games, his most consistent run for the club.

• Nigeria face Poland and Portugal in June. Chelle needs players comfortable in elite European environments. Tella ticks every box.

Nathan Tella was one of the biggest winner for the weekend as he scored one, assisted another, created two big chances and won six ground duels as Bayer Leverkusen hammered RB Leipzig 4-1 on Saturday.

Three (3) goal contributions across his last two Bundesliga matches, with the Unity Cup starting in three weeks. The case for his Super Eagles recall has never been stronger and the numbers back every word of it.

While Patrik Schick grabbed the headlines with a hat-trick, Tella, just behind the fantastic striker, was the engine driving the attack.

His 77-minute display was a clinic in one of the number 10 roles in Bayer’s 3-4-2-1 formation, contributing at both ends and doing the dirty work in between.

This is not a one-off. Tella now has 3 goal contributions across his last 2 Bundesliga games, the kind of back-to-back consistency that makes coaches pay attention and keeps scouts in their seats.

The Super Eagles have no shortage of attackers. What they often lack is the tactical intelligence to play in transitions against elite European sides.

Tella, shaped by two seasons under Xabi Alonso, has developed into something the current squad profile doesn't have, a "space interpreter" who reads the press, exploits the gaps, and works without the ball as hard as with it.

Nigeria's June schedule is not for the faint-hearted. The Unity Cup kicks off May 26, followed by friendlies against Robert Lewandowski's Poland and a Portugal side led by Cristiano Ronaldo.

These are not low-stakes warm-ups, they are examinations of a squad's readiness against elite opposition.

Tella's familiarity with German Gegenpressing makes him ideally suited to the Poland fixture, where the game will be won and lost in transitions.

His defensive numbers; 3 tackles and 6 duels won against Leipzig alone; give Chelle exactly the press resistance he'll need against physical European midfields.

Against Portugal, his ability to play between the lines and create big chances from tight angles becomes even more valuable. Two big chances created in 77 minutes against one of the Bundesliga's best-organised defences is the kind of evidence that speaks for itself.

Tella's last Super Eagles appearance came at the 2025 Unity Cup. Since then, he has become a regular contributor at a top-four Bundesliga club, a different player, more complete, more consistent, more experienced.

For Chelle, the question is no longer whether Tella is good enough. The Leipzig masterclass settled that. The real question is simpler and more uncomfortable: can Nigeria afford to head into a major summer window without one of their most in-form creative sparks in Europe?

The stats say no. The timing says now. The only thing left is the announcement.