| Armel Bella-Kotchap | |
| Full Name: | Armel Bella-Kotchap[1] |
| Birth Date: | 2001 12, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Paris, France |
| Height: | 1.90 m[2] |
| Position: | Centre-back |
| Currentclub: | Southampton |
| Clubnumber: | 37 |
| Youthyears1: | 2005–2009 |
| Youthclubs1: | Rot Weiss Ahlen |
| Youthyears2: | 2009–2012 |
| Youthclubs2: | SC Grimlinghausen |
| Youthyears3: | 2012–2015 |
| Youthclubs3: | Borussia Mönchengladbach |
| Youthyears4: | 2015–2016 |
| Youthclubs4: | SG Unterrath |
| Youthyears5: | 2016–2017 |
| Youthclubs5: | MSV Duisburg |
| Youthyears6: | 2017–2020 |
| Youthclubs6: | VfL Bochum |
| Years1: | 2018–2022 |
| Clubs1: | VfL Bochum |
| Caps1: | 66 |
| Goals1: | 1 |
| Years2: | 2022– |
| Clubs2: | Southampton |
| Caps2: | 24 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2023–2024 |
| Clubs3: | → PSV (loan) |
| Caps3: | 4 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Years4: | 2024 |
| Clubs4: | → Jong PSV (loan) |
| Caps4: | 3 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2018–2019 |
| Nationalteam1: | Germany U18 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 5 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2020 |
| Nationalteam2: | Germany U20 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2021– |
| Nationalteam3: | Germany U21 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 9 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 0 |
| Nationalyears4: | 2022 |
| Nationalteam4: | Germany |
| Nationalcaps4: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals4: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 07:05, 10 March 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 18:55, 16 November 2022 (UTC) |
Armel Bella-Kotchap (born 11 December 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Southampton. Born in France, he plays for the Germany national team.[3]
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]
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, 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.[9] He returned from injury on 6 November in a 1–4 defeat against Newcastle United.[10] 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.[11] Bella-Kotchap dislocated his shoulder again during a 3–3 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on 18 March 2023.[12]
On 1 September 2023, Bella-Kotchap joined Eredivisie side PSV on a season-long loan.[13] He made his professional debut for the club on 16 September 2023 in a 4–0 victory against NEC.[14] Four days later, Bella-Kotchap made his first Champions League appearance in a 4–0 defeat to Arsenal.[15] In October 2023, he suffered a shoulder injury and was expected to be sidelined until the end of year.[16]
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.[17]
On 15 September 2022, Bella-Kotchap was included in the German senior squad for the first time.[18] He made his debut as a late substitute on 26 September in a 3–3 draw with England.[19] In November 2022, he was selected in the German squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[20]
Bella-Kotchap was born in Paris, France,[5] and is the son of former Cameroon international Cyrille Florent Bella.[21]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | 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 | Premier League | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 26 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2024–25 | 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 | 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 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | ||||
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 2 | 0 | ||
VfL Bochum
PSV