EFL Championship 2022/23: Nathan Tella’s season so far. This season, Burnley has been one of the most intriguing teams not just in the Championship but in all of Europe. With a commanding 13-point advantage at the top of the standings, Vincent Kompany and his teammates have completely taken over the Championship.
The fact that Burnley’s roster includes some promising young players who have lived up to their promises and performed admirably in one of the toughest leagues in the world is what has most impressed me. Nathan Tella, who is on loan from Southampton, is one such athlete. The midfielder, who can also play up front, has dominated the Championship this season with 17 goals and is Burnley’s leading scorer.
EFL Championship 2022/23: Nathan Tella’s season so far
The graphic below displays the position in relation to similar players from the Championship for some of the important measures.
Originally from the Arsenal development ranks, the 23-year-old transferred to the Saints academy in 2017. After being promoted to the first team during the 2019–20 season, Tella struggled to get playing time at Southampton, and his move to Burnley in the summer was greatly appreciated by all parties. However, it is fair to note that Tella has in fact surpassed expectations for the season. Tella has put up outstanding attacking figures this season while playing on the left side of an explosive front four. The Burnley player is the only player this season to have scored more goals than Akpom and Gyökeres combined.
Tella ranks among the league’s top xG overperformers thanks to his exceptional ability to complete passes and find the back of the net. Tella has scored 17 goals while having an xG of only 8.5. Tella may not appear to be strong in the air based on the visual, but the Englishman has four goals from headers to his credit, placing him joint third in the Championship.
Nathan Tella is not yet a fully developed player based on his defensive statistics, but he benefits from playing in one of the league’s most comprehensive systems because he is not expected to make a significant defensive contribution.
Tella has impressed several people since getting the chance to establish himself, not just at Burnley but also at his original club Southampton. Because Southampton, Tella’s parent club, is on track to be relegated to the Championship and Burnley appears to be promoted to the Premier League, it will be intriguing to see where he plays next season!
