'It has been a tough start to my time here' - Tella relieved after scoring his first Bayer Leverkusen goal 

Nathan Tella has admitted that he's had a tough start to his career at Bayer Leverkusen and was delighted to get off the mark as the German Bundesliga side defeated Molde FK 2-1 on matchday two of the Europa League on Thursday night. 

The exciting winger became Bayer Leverkusen's most expensive signing in the summer window after ending a six-year association with Southampton.

Having missed the whole of Bayer's pre-season preparations, Tella has yet to force his way into the starting lineup with two of his four appearances for the Black and Reds coming off the bench. 

He earned plenty of plaudits for his outstanding performances during a loan spell at Burnley, where he notched 19 goals in all competitions, which put him in the shop window and convinced Bayer Leverkusen to pay €23.3 million for him.

Against Molde, Tella doubled the advantage in the 18th minute when he hit the ball low into the far corner after a through ball from Adam Hlozek, 

The Arsenal academy product was clearly delighted to get on the scoresheet and thanked Hlozek for assisting him to score his first goal for Bayer Leverkusen. 

"Obviously it's a great feeling, more importantly we got the win. I am really happy on an individual note to get my first goal," Tella said to Bayer Leverkusen's official website. 

"It has been a tough start to my time here but the manager assured me that I will get a run of games and I will get the confidence and today was a good step for me.

"I am a forward, I always want to be involved in goals, whether scoring or assisting. I had a chance in the last Europa League game and I didn't take it. 

"I felt that today if I had the opportunity I wanted to take it and thankfully Adam played a great pass, he did all the hard work for me and I was able to just finish so thank you to Adam."

Tella was or target in his final game as a Southampton player, against Plymouth Argyle, before sealing a permanent transfer to Bayer Leverkusen. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

Photo Credit: bayer04.de

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