Armel Bella-kotchap
The 22 year old defender wanted to exit this summer but all moves, including a permanent switch to German side Hoffenheim, fell through. With the vast majority of transfer windows across the world now shut, Bella-Kotchap looks set to remain at Saints until at least January. However, despite impressing in the Carabao Cup second-round victory at Cardiff City, he was not included in the third round at Everton. Russell Martin had previously said he is “open to being surprised” and has not ruled out a return for the German but clearly explained his current decision.
Southampton manager Russell Martin said ” It’s never personal. I’m paid to do the best job I can for Southampton Football Club. If it doesn’t go very well I will lose my job. It really is that simple. There’s no personal fallout. We had honest conversations before the transfer window closed and after the transfer window closed. It’s not ideal for him. We had a couple of moves fall through and now he trains with the rest of them. He trains really well. The same as Paul Onuachu, the same as the other guys. Ronnie Edwards has not been in the squad. He’s been really frustrated. Ryan Manning has been left at home and played 40-odd games for us last year. It’s not easy to do that. We could talk about all of them guys but I feel like when we’re here we should be talking about the guys that are here. It’s about who I feel is best for the team and who I trust the most to put in a performance and help the group. Tonight, I decided that it wasn’t those guys.”
Bella-Kotchap has made 27 appearances for Saints since signing from VFL Bochum in June 2022, but his minutes at Cardiff were the first under Martin. He spent last season on loan at PSV, after a move to Bayern Munich collapsed on deadline day, having expressed his desire to leave the club.
