Armel Bella-Kotchap

Armel Bella-Kotchap
Personal information
Full name Armel Bella-Kotchap[1]
Date of birth (2001-12-11) 11 December 2001
Place of birth Paris, France
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[2]
Position Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Venezia
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)
2022–2026 Southampton 28 (0)
2023–2024 → PSV (loan) 4 (0)
2024 → Jong PSV (loan) 3 (0)
2025–2026 → Hellas Verona (loan) 14 (0)
2026 Hellas Verona 5 (0)
2026– Venezia 1 (0)
International career‡
2018–2019 Germany U18 5 (0)
2020 Germany U20 1 (0)
2021–2022 Germany U21 9 (0)
2022 Germany 2 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 24 August 2026
‡ National team caps and goals 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 Serie A club Venezia. Born in France, he played 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 4–1 home defeat against Newcastle United.[11] On 4 January 2023, Bella-Kotchap tweaked his knee during the first half of a 1–0 home 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]

Hellas Verona

On 27 August 2025, Bella-Kotchap joined Serie A side Hellas Verona on a season-long loan.[18] He made his debut for the club on 31 August in a 4–0 defeat against Lazio after he replaced Fallou Cham in the 46th minute.[19] On 2 February 2026, Bella-Kotchap joined the club permanently for an undisclosed fee.[20]

Venezia

On 29 June 2026, Bella-Kotchap joined Serie A side Venezia on a four-year contract.[21]

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.[22]

On 15 September 2022, Bella-Kotchap was included in the German senior squad for the first time.[23] He made his debut as a late substitute on 26 September in a 3–3 draw with England.[24] In November 2022, he was selected in the German squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[25]

Personal life

Bella-Kotchap was born in Paris, France,[5] and is the son of former Cameroon international Cyrille Florent Bella.[26]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 15 August 2026[3][27]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
VfL Bochum 2018–19 2. Bundesliga 4000–—40
2019–20 2. Bundesliga 12020–—140
2020–21 2. Bundesliga 28120–—301
2021–22 Bundesliga 22040–—260
Total 66180–—741
Southampton 2022–23[9] Premier League 2401010—260
2023–24[28] Championship 000000—00
2024–25[29] Premier League 400010—50
2025–26[30] Championship 000000—00
Total 2801020—310
PSV (loan) 2023–24 Eredivisie 4000—2[b]060
Jong PSV (loan) 2023–24 Eerste Divisie 30———30
Hellas Verona 2025–26 Serie A 19010——200
Venezia 2026–27 Serie A 0010——10
Career total 120111020201351

International

As of match played 16 November 2022
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Germany
202220
Total20

Honours

VfL Bochum

PSV

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. 1 2 "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. 1 2 "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. 1 2 "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. ↑ "Bella-Kotchap heads to Hellas Verona". Southampton FC. 27 August 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  19. ↑ "Lazio win at the Olimpico". Hellas Verona FC. 1 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  20. ↑ "Armel Bella-Kotchap signed permanently from Southampton". Hellas Verona FC. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  21. ↑ "Armel Bella-Kotchap joins Venezia FC". Venezia FC. 29 June 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "Cyprus – Germany 0:1 (U18 Friendlies 2018, November)". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  23. ↑ "Southampton's Armel Bella-Kotchap earns first Germany call-up | Daily Echo". www.dailyecho.co.uk. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  24. ↑ "Bella-Kotchap makes international bow". Southampton F.C. 26 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  25. ↑ "Flick beruft Moukoko, Füllkrug und Götze in WM-Kader" (in German). German Football Association. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  26. ↑ "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.
  27. ↑ "Germany – A. Bella-Kotchap – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  28. ↑ "Games played by Armel Bella-Kotchap in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  29. ↑ "Games played by Armel Bella-Kotchap in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  30. ↑ "Games played by Armel Bella-Kotchap in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
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