SAINTS manager Ralph Hasenhuttl remained coy on the possibility of recalling in-form Nathan Tella from his loan spell with Championship leaders Burnley. After a frustrating campaign hampered by injuries, Tella left St Mary’s for Turf Moor on a season-long loan in the summer. Dropping down a division, Tella has excelled under former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany, making 16 appearances and scoring six times. It is believed that Saints have the option to recall the talented forward in January, but speaking on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s trip to Crystal Palace, Hasenhuttl refused to say whether that was a possibility the club is pursuing.
Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “We will see what we do. We have our eyes open and we will definitely look very detailed into what we will do with him.”
Despite signing a new long-term contract with Saints last winter, Tella failed to nail down a consistent starting spot in Hasehuttl’s side, starting a total of ten games over the course of the 2021/22 season. With Sekou Mara, Joe Aribo, and Samuel Edozie joining the club’s forward ranks this summer, Tella’s route to regular minutes was blocked further and as such, the decision was made for the 24-year-old to head out on loan. He has already established himself as a fan-favourite in Lancashire and a crucial element of Burney’s promotion aspirations.
Ralph Hasenhuttl added: “I’m very pleased (with his progress). I know that some people say it’s only the Championship that he scores goals but I must say it’s still a big achievement. For me and this is exactly what we wanted to see – that he gets a lot of game time and can show his qualities. I mean he has shown it also in the Premier League so far. For him, it didn’t look like he would get enough game time this season. But I think it was the right decision to take (loan him).
Burnley currently sit top of the Championship table with Tella second in their goalscoring charts behind only former Saint Jay Rodriguez.
