The 55-year-old signed a two-year contract to take over as coach of the Bundesliga club after Xabi Alonso left for Real Madrid.
Ten Hag had a successful run at Ajax before moving to Manchester United in 2022. During his two years at Old Trafford, he won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup but was dismissed with the Red Devils 14th in the Premier League.
While expressing his eagerness to work with the Dutchman, the Nigeria international praised the quality the tactician brings to the BayArena.
"I'm looking forward to it (playing for Ten Hag) a lot. I think he is a very good manager," Tella told Flashscore.com in an exclusive interview.
"I know, obviously, people are short-sighted and look at only what he's done at Man United, but people forget he's won two trophies with them, and what he did with Ajax.
"To even get a job at Manchester United from Ajax, it shows he must be doing something incredible.
"And even (though) it didn't go the way perhaps people wanted it to go, but then to get a job at Leverkusen shows you that he's such a high-quality manager because of the manager he's coming in to replace."
Ten Hag will officially start as Die Werkself coach on July 1st, with his first competitive match in the DFB Cup first round from August 15th to 18th, followed by the Bundesliga season opener the next weekend.
"I've not even met him yet. I've just seen the pictures of him signing, and it's given me motivation to want to play for him," the Nigerian continued.
"Another manager to impress, another big name in world football, and to have the opportunity to work for him and with him is something I'm really looking forward to."
Tella reflects on Leverkusen season performance
The Super Eagle has weighed in on Bayer Leverkusen’s 2024/25 season, offering a balanced view of the club’s achievements and setbacks.
Tella highlighted the club’s strong league showing, their German Supercup victory, finishing second in a tough Bundesliga, reaching the Champions League last 16 - a milestone to be proud of - and their run to the German Cup semi-finals.
"I would like to say it was a good season. Obviously, it's disappointing when we get to a semi-final (of the German Cup) and we lose. With all due respect, (Arminia Bielefeld) it's a team we should be beating," he continued.
"But to finish second in a very competitive league, and to also get out of the first eight in the Champions League and to get into the last 16 is another achievement which, I guess, as a team we can be proud of.
"Of course, we want to progress and do better, but I'd say we're happy with how the season is. Alright, you started the season very slow and towards the end of the season you gathered momentum."
In the 2023/24 season, Leverkusen won the Bundesliga without losing a game and reached the Europa League final, a feat the winger insists is no fluke.
He added: "No, I wouldn't say it's a fluke. Maybe the whole season unbeaten is quite difficult for teams to do that, but the way we played last year, I wouldn't say there was, apart from Atalanta, I wouldn't say there were many teams who could put up with us and deal with us.
"We were a really good team last year and we showed what we showed in the season where we won the league in parts last season as well.
"I wouldn't say it's a fluke. I'd say we're a very good team and we went through a difficult period, but we still were able to show our quality."
Could Bayer Leverkusen have halted Bayern Munich?
Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich enjoyed a solid 2024/25 campaign, showcasing their trademark dominance in the Bundesliga and remaining competitive on the European stage.
Despite stiff competition from rivals like Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund, the Bavarians managed to secure key victories that handed them the league title.
Tella continued: "Bayern were really good and we had moments where we weren't really good and we closed the gap.
"However, there were games where we needed to be more ruthless, more like killers, and we weren't able to do that.
"But at the same time, we still had very good moments in the season and you could see why we were the reigning champions because we were doing some incredible things.
"Obviously, we sort of lost the momentum towards the end, but I think we were still very happy with how the season was."
