Armel Bella-Kotchap

Armel Bella-Kotchap

Personal information
Full name	Armel Bella-Kotchap [1]
Date of birth	(2001-12-11) 11 December 2001 (age 22)
Place of birth	Paris, France
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) [2]
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Southampton
Number	37
Youth career
2005–2009	Rot Weiss Ahlen
2009–2012	SC Grimlinghausen
2012–2015	Borussia Mönchengladbach
2015–2016	SG Unterrath
2016–2017	MSV Duisburg
2017–2020	VfL Bochum
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2022	VfL Bochum	66	(1)
2022–	Southampton	24	(0)
2023–2024	→ PSV (loan)	4	(0)
2024	→ Jong PSV (loan)	3	(0)
International career‡
2018–2019	Germany U18	5	(0)
2020	Germany U20	1	(0)
2021–	Germany U21	9	(0)
2022	Germany	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 07:05, 10 March 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:55, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

Armel Bella-Kotchap (born 11 December 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Southampton. Born in France, he plays for the Germany national team. ^[3]

Club career

VfL Bochum

In July 2018, Bella-Kotchap joined VfL Bochum professional team 2018–19 summer training camp. ^[4] In March 2019, Bella-Kotchap signed his first professional contract with VfL Bochum. ^[5] He made his professional debut for Bochum in the 2. Bundesliga on 28 April 2019, starting in the away match against Erzgebirge Aue. ^[6]

Southampton

On 21 June 2022, Bella-Kotchap joined Southampton on a four-year deal, ^[7] for a fee estimated at 10 million euros. ^[8] Having established himself as a regular starter at centre-back, ^[9] Bella-Kotchap dislocated his shoulder in a collision during the 1–1 draw with West Ham United on 16 October. As a result, he was expected to be out of action for several weeks. ^[10] He returned from injury on 6 November in a 1–4 defeat against Newcastle United. ^[11] On 4 January 2023, Bella-Kotchap tweaked his knee during the first half of a 0–1 defeat against Nottingham Forest and was expected to be injured for a matter of weeks. ^[12] Bella-Kotchap dislocated his shoulder again during a 3–3 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on 18 March 2023. ^[13]

PSV (loan)

On 1 September 2023, Bella-Kotchap joined Eredivisie side PSV on a season-long loan. ^[14] He made his professional debut for the club on 16 September 2023 in a 4–0 victory against NEC. ^[15] Four days later, Bella-Kotchap made his first Champions League appearance in a 4–0 defeat to Arsenal. ^[16] In October 2023, he suffered a shoulder injury and was expected to be sidelined until the end of year. ^[17]

International career

Bella-Kotchap began his youth international career with the Germany under-18 team, making his debut on 15 November 2018 in a friendly match against Cyprus, which finished as a 1–0 win. ^[18]

On 15 September 2022, Bella-Kotchap was included in the German senior squad for the first time. ^[19] He made his debut as a late substitute on 26 September in a 3–3 draw with England. ^[20] In November 2022, he was selected in the German squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. ^[21]

Personal life

Bella-Kotchap was born in Paris, France, ^[5] and is the son of former Cameroon international Cyrille Florent Bella. ^[22]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 28 August 2024 ^{[3] [23]}

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [lower-alpha 1]		League cup		Europe		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
VfL Bochum	2018–19	2. Bundesliga	4	0	0	0	–		—		4	0
	2019–20	2. Bundesliga	12	0	2	0	–		—		14	0
	2020–21	2. Bundesliga	28	1	2	0	–		—		30	1
	2021–22	Bundesliga	22	0	4	0	–		—		26	0
	Total		66	1	8	0	–		—		74	1
Southampton	2022–23 [9]	Premier League	24	0	1	0	1	0	—		26	0
	2023–24 [24]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2024–25 [25]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
	Total		24	0	1	0	2	0	—		27	0
PSV (loan)	2023–24	Eredivisie	4	0	0	0	—		2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	6	0
Jong PSV (loan)	2023–24	Eerste Divisie	3	0	—		—		—		3	0
Career total			98	1	9	0	2	0	2	0	110	1

1. Includes DFB-Pokal, FA Cup
2. Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 16 November 2022

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Germany
	2022	2	0
Total		2	0

Honours

VfL Bochum

• 2. Bundesliga: 2020–21

PSV

• Eredivisie: 2023–24

References

1. "2022/23 Premier League squad lists". Premier League. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
2. "Armel Bella-Kotchap: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
3. "Armel Bella-Kotchap". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
4. "Tag 5 in Weiler: Neue Gesichter" (in German). VfL Bochum. 10 July 2018. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
5. "Profiverträge für Talentwerk-Trio" [Professional contracts for Talentwerk trio] (in German). Bochum: VfL Bochum. 3 March 2019. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
6. "Erzgebirge Aue – VfL Bochum -:- (2. Bundesliga 2018/2019, 31. Round)". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
7. "Bella-Kotchap becomes a Saint". Southampton FC. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
8. "Armel Bella-Kotchap: Southampton sign defender from Bundesliga club Bochum". BBC Sport. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
9. "Games played by Armel Bella-Kotchap in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
10. "Bella-Kotchap injury 'definitely a loss for us'". BBC Sport. 18 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
11. Jurejko, Jonathan (6 November 2022). "Southampton 1–4 Newcastle United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
12. House, Alfie (7 January 2023). "Bella-Kotchap injury severity confirmed + reason for Armstrong absence". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
13. House, Alfie (19 March 2023). "Bella-Kotchap waiting on specialist to learn extent of shoulder injury". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
14. "Bella-Kotchap joins PSV on loan". Southampton FC. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
15. "PSV 4–0 NEC". ESPN. 16 September 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
16. Unwin, Will (20 September 2023). "Arsenal 4–0 PSV". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
17. Rees-Julian, George (30 October 2023). "Southampton's Bella-Kotchap reportedly out for the rest of the year". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
18. "Cyprus – Germany 0:1 (U18 Friendlies 2018, November)". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
19. "Southampton's Armel Bella-Kotchap earns first Germany call-up | Daily Echo". www.dailyecho.co.uk. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
20. "Bella-Kotchap makes international bow". Southampton F.C. 26 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
21. "Flick beruft Moukoko, Füllkrug und Götze in WM-Kader" (in German). German Football Association. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
22. "Tag 5 in Weiler: Neue Gesichter" [Day 5 in Weiler: New faces] (in German). Weiler-Simmerberg: VfL Bochum. 10 July 2018. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
23. "Germany - A. Bella-Kotchap - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
24. "Games played by Armel Bella-Kotchap in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
25. "Games played by Armel Bella-Kotchap in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 August 2024.

External links

• Armel Kotchap at Soccerbase
• Armel Bella-Kotchap at DFB (also available in German )
• Armel Bella-Kotchap at kicker (in German)
• Armel Bella-Kotchap at Soccerway