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]
| 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) | |||
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][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.[13]
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]
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]
Bella-Kotchap was born in Paris, France,[5] and is the son of former Cameroon international Cyrille Florent Bella.[22]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | 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 | ||
| Total | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 26 | 0 | |||
| PSV (loan) | 2023–24 | Eredivisie | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[b] | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Jong PSV (loan) | 2023–24 | Eerste Divisie | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 98 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 109 | 1 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | |||
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
VfL Bochum
PSV