Chelsea lost to Southampton on Tuesday night and provoked discussions of what is wrong with the Blues. But it’s not fair to only focus on Thomas Tuchel’s team – because the Saints played well and earned the points fair and square. One of the standout performers was Southampton’s recent signing Armel Bella-Kotchap.Absolutely fantastic defensive skills.Man United? Chelsea? No problem.Taking the Premier League by storm so far.Armel Bella-Kotchap.20 years of age.Signed by Saints from Bochum for 10M€. Huge bargain. pic.twitter.com/F6s9R7Pv0Z— Football Talent Scout – Jacek Kulig (@FTalentScout) August 30, 2022 The 20-year-old defender summed up Southampton’s youthful passion and urgency, which saw them come back from 1-0 down to claim an impressive victory. Romeo Lavia and Adam Armstrong scored for the red and whites, but it’s the son of former Cameroon international Cyrille Florent Bella who received extra praise from his boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.”When you see the physical quality Armel has, it is perfect for the Premier League. And this is what we hoped for in the summer. I was more questioning if he had the right mindset but it seems the Premier League is so interesting for him, and he is fully focused.”##NAJAVA_MECA_6606268##The highly-rated centre-back signed a four-year deal at St Mary’s after making 74 appearances for Bochum in Germany. Starting out in the game at the age of four at Rot Weiss Ahlen, the French-born defender joined Bochum in 2017 aged 15. Quickly picking up international caps at Under-18 and Under-20 level, Bella-Kotchap enjoyed a similar rise at club level, establishing himself as a first-team regular just six months after signing his first professional contract with Die Unabsteigbaren.Armel Bella-Kotchap 🇩🇪 Roméo Lavia 🇧🇪 Mohammed Salisu 🇬🇭 Gavin Bazunu 🇮🇪 Joe Aribo 🇳🇬 Sékou Mara 🇫🇷 Kyle Walker-Peters 🏴 Tino Livramento 🏴 @SouthamptonFC have some really exciting young talent. ✨ It could be fun at St. Mary’s this season. 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/tlEK1vhIQM— Jonny (@JonnyLeck97) August 30, 2022 The youngster made 26 appearances as Thomas Reis’ team won Bundesliga 2 in 2021, ending a 12-year hiatus from the top flight. Continuing his impressive development, Bella-Kotchap made another 26 appearances last season, as Bochum comfortably maintained their Bundesliga status. He may has been unknown among football fans in England when Southampton paid $11 million for him, but he’s starting to make a name for himself with some mature displays.
