Nathan Tella reacts to Joe Aribo's Southampton FC promotion message | OneFootball

Nathan Tella sent Joe Aribo a message after the midfielder helped Southampton back to the Premier League after they beat Leeds United at Wembley.

After a remarkable promotion battle, where Saints fell short in trying to catch the top two, all attention turned to the play-offs for Russell Martin’s men.

They overcame West Brom over two legs thanks to a convincing win at home following a goalless draw at The Hawthorns, which set up an exciting clash against the Whites at the national stadium.

Many observers saw it as a game that was too close to call, and it was decided by a single goal, as Adam Armstrong struck in the first half to ensure Saints went up, and it was a result they merited over the course of the 90 minutes.

Nathan Tella reacts to Joe Aribo’s message

The final whistle sparked wild scenes as players and staff celebrated in front of the fans, before lifting the trophy after making the walk up the famous Wembley steps.

Since then, taking to Instagram, Aribo, who played the full game, shared an image of himself along with Samuel Edozie as they held the play-off trophy, whilst he also put an image of several players dancing in the dressing room.

Naturally, that brought plenty of responses, with former Southampton man Nathan Tella among those to react, as he simply put three love-heart eyes emojis.

Nathan Tella still has an eye on Southampton results

This shows that Tella still has a soft spot for Saints, and his former teammates, as he did actually start this season with the club before his move to Bayer Leverkusen.

The 24-year-old started the first three games of the campaign for Russell Martin, and he scored once and registered one assist in his three outings, as Southampton picked up seven points.

It’s fair to say that the switch to Germany worked out very well for Tella though, as he played his part in helping Xabi Alonso’s side to a historic domestic double where they incredibly didn’t lose a game - and they also reached the Europa League final.

Nevertheless, he is still clearly pleased for his former teammates, and Aribo is sure to have appreciated the message from his fellow Nigerian international.

Joe Aribo will be desperate to prove himself in the Premier League

Like most of his teammates, Aribo has experienced playing in the Premier League, so it won’t be anything new for him, but he will be desperate to show what he can do after a disappointing first season in the top-flight that resulted in relegation.

The former Rangers man has adapted to Martin’s style of play well, with his athleticism and quality on the ball key to the way the side plays.

So, he will hope to continue to be an important figure next season, and he will no doubt be taking inspiration from Tella, who has enjoyed a remarkable campaign as he looks to make his mark against the best in the country.