Southampton have made their third move of the summer after bringing in goalkeepers Mateusz Lis and Gavin Bazunu by adding Armel Bella-Kotchap. The Saints confirmed on their official website that the 20-year-old had signed a four-year deal with the club.
No fee was stated by the club, but David Ornstein reported that VfL Bochum would receive in the region of €10m for the German defender. Winning the 2. Bundesliga last season with Bochum, he took to the Bundesliga well and helped Bochum maintain their first division status.
Welcome to #SaintsFC, Armel Bella-Kotchap! ? pic.twitter.com/ZMTfLuN9Yt
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) June 21, 2022
Who is Armel Bella-Kotchap?
He made his debut in 2019 with Bochum in the second division, becoming a regular in the 2020-21 season. Physically imposing and aggressive with his defending, he will be menace to attackers in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s pressing system. In his first top-flight season he made 20 starts, going through a brief period on the bench in November and December before returning to the line-up.
Where he struggles more is on the ball and Bella-Kotchap has yet to display a comfort on the ball that many managers like from their central defenders.