That was the first of a total of 33 appearances to date for Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side, with Tella scoring twice in that time and becoming an established member of the squad.
Hasenhüttl said: “Nathan is a good example of a young player with a lot of potential who is willing to learn and to push himself. These are the sort of players we like to develop at Southampton.
“He has played some excellent games already and made some good improvements in his time working with us. I think he can develop a lot more here, so it is good that he can focus on improving his qualities with us even more over the coming seasons.”
Nathan Tella said: “I’m over the moon. I really like the club, I’m really enjoying my time here. The fact that the club are believing in me is something I’m so thankful for.
“The club have been nothing but great to me all season, and last season as well. They believe in me and now I’ve got to believe in myself.
“Moving forward, I want to repay the faith they have in me. I want to play more games, be involved in more goals and help the team progress.”