It may only be five games into his debut Premier League season, but Armel Bella-Kotchap already looks a player with the potential to be one of the signings of the season. Southampton have gone back to their roots somewhat with their recent recruitment by signing young, promising players with a view to developing them before either reaping the rewards themselves or selling them on for huge profits. At just 20-years-old Bella-Kotchap fits that profile perfectly. However, the reason Southampton are such an attractive prospect for these youngsters is that they stay true to their word and give opportunities where other clubs would not.
Last season the blueprint was set through the opportunities provided to, and subsequent progression of, both Tino Livramento and Armando Broja. When Livramento signed from Chelsea he had not played a minute of senior football but was widely regarded as the best English fullback in youth football. He was tipped as one for the future and was expected to act as cover for Kyle Walker-Peters. The fact that Livramento lined up in Walker-Peters’ right back spot on the opening day of last season was a shock, but he took to the Premier League like a duck to water. Prior to his incredibly unfortunate rupture to his anterior cruciate ligament – one of the worst injuries in football – there was even talk of senior England recognition for Livramento. When you consider the embarrassment of riches that Gareth Southgate has at his disposal at right back it shows just how impressive the 18 year-old’s performances were.
A similar situation has presented itself this season. After signing from Manchester City in the summer, 18-year-old Belgian Roméo Lavia was expected to train with the first team and absorb as much of Oriol Romeu’s experience of playing as a holding midfielder in the Premier league as possibly. Instead, Lavia started the opening day defeat to Tottenham Hotspur as the defensive screen in midfield, with Romeu and James Ward-Prowse ahead of him. Lavia was favoured in Romeu’s position of choice. Since then, he has displaced Romeu to the point that the club were satisfied that they could allow the Spaniard to return to his homeland to sign for Girona on transfer deadline day. An 18 year-old being entrusted with one of the most important positions in the team is something that just doesn’t happen very often in the Premier League. For Southampton it has become the norm. If you are good enough, you are old enough. Lavia, Livramento and co. are certainly more than good enough.
This brings us onto Bella-Kotchap. The French-born, German central defender is not quite as inexperienced as Livramento and Lavia, but at 20 he is just as much of an anomaly in terms of starting central defenders in England’s top flight.
Prior to signing for Southampton for £9 million this summer, Bella-Kotchap had racked up an impressive 74 senior games despite his tender years. All of these performances came for German side VfL Bochum, with 16 of his 66 league appearances in Germany coming in the 2. Bundesliga, and a further 50 in the German first division following promotion. Compared to some of his peers at the club, this makes Bella-Kotchap relatively experienced.
The defender, who has nine Germany under-21 caps to his name, has seen his stock rise remarkably following his new team’s double header against Manchester United and Chelsea. One reason for this is of course that playing against teams of this calibre means that the eyes of the world are often watching, but there is also no denying that Bella-Kotchap has stepped up to the challenge that these sides present with aplomb.
After not being picked for the opening day defeat to Tottenham, Bella-Kotchap has been an ever-present in the side ever since. His presence has meant that Ralph Hasenhüttl feels confident that he can play his favoured back four once more, such is the dynamism that Bella-Kotchap and partner Mohammed Salisu possess. When you combine both players’ frames, speed, and power it is not a stretch to say that they are quite possible the Premier League’s most dynamic defensive duo. It is difficult to think of a pair of central defenders where you would have faith in either player in a footrace against the majority of the strikers in the league. This recovery pace allows Southampton to play their high-press and squeeze high up the pitch. The confidence they have in doing this is growing with every game that Bella-Kotchap and Salisu line up at the heart of the defence and there is now a real trust throughout the team that they can press with intensity and not worry quite so much about leaving their defence exposed as they have done with the less mobile players such as Jack Stephens, Jan Bednarek, and Jannik Vestergaard that they have had to protect in the past.
Last season, it was widely accepted that Salisu was the best central defender at the club, if a little raw. Bella-Kotchap may well have surpassed his Ghanaian counterpart already, despite being three years his junior. This is no slight on Salisu by any means. At 23, he is himself still a very young central defender and is very talented, but Bella-Kotchap looked nothing short of imperious against Chelsea in only his fourth game in England. He is a defender that seems to have it all. He is 6 foot 3 but he is an incredibly powerful individual with a great leap and pace to boot. Early signs have shown that Bella-Kotchap loves a physical battle and it is difficult to envisage many attackers getting the better of him in this department. Perhaps his only weakness currently is on the ball, with his passing requiring improvement. This is not to say that he is poor in possession, but he could certainly improve. Fortunately, this is an area which can be improved with practice and experience; at 20, he has plenty of time to work on this side of his game.
You could spend hours trawling through highlights of Bella-Kotchap, finding physical duals aplenty, last ditch tackles, blocks, and crucial headers. In truth, though, against Chelsea on Tuesday he displayed his entire skillset. You could make a showreel of Bella-Kotchap’s performance in the Saints’ 2-1 victory that perfectly highlights his full repertoire. Like his partner, Salisu, Bella-Kotchap is a very aggressive defender but he is more measured in his defending. Having the presence of mind to consider his options, coupled with the pace and power that makes attackers have to think twice, means that Bella-Kotchap is very effective in terms of slowing counter-attacks and fast breaks in order to buy himself and his teammates time to get back into position.
There are two distinct moments in the game against Chelsea at St Mary’s that highlight this. The first came in the 21st minute, with Chelsea having overturned possession in their own half and transitioned quickly to spring a quick break on Southampton.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek drives forward with the ball, chased by five Southampton players. Raheem Sterling is sprinting forward to provide an option, whilst Kai Havertz is the most advanced Chelsea player on the left hand side. Bella-Kotchap is the only Southampton player between the ball and his goalkeeper, despite the fact the ball is only just in his team’s half.
Havertz slides a ball through for Sterling to chase, who is seemingly through on goal. Bella-Kotchap now vacates his position where he was loosely marking Havertz and focuses on the immediate danger which is Sterling running through on goal. Bella-Kotchap is confident that he is quick enough to catch Sterling, but his positioning and body shape mean that he is also actively preventing Sterling from playing the ball to Havertz and giving him an easy one-on-one.
Bella-Kotchap has now blocked the possibility of a square ball to Havertz and bought his teammates time to get back and support him. This means he can now commit to the ball and, after pushing Sterling wider, he slides in and wins the ball.
Despite initially winning the ball with the challenge, the ball breaks back to Loftus-Cheek in the box. Bella-Kotchap gets straight back up and chases Loftus-Cheek to the byline before blocking his cross. This takes any sting out of the cross and allows Gavin Bazunu to collect with ease.
This is a prime example of a defender who is comfortable enough with his own pace and athletic capabilities to back himself against fast forwards but also the defensive nous to not commit himself too early. A further example of Bella-Kotchap’s presence of mind came in the 56th minute when, outnumbered once more, he used his brain over his brawn.
Chelsea again win possession in their own half and look to counter immediately, with Southampton light in numbers defensively following a free-kick.
Bella-Kotchap is again the deepest Southampton player and only player between the ball and Bazunu. Havertz is the spearhead of the Chelsea attack and Bella-Kotchap is tracking him.
Bella-Kotchap allows Havertz to pull wide to receive the ball while remaining central and protecting the route to goal, as well as giving himself the opportunity to mark the onrushing Chelsea players. He is watching the man on the ball to see when he is about to release the ball to Havertz. Just as the ball is about to be released, Bella-Kotchap halts his run for a split-second to catch Havertz offside. Again, this is a risk he can take due to his pace. If he does not manage to successfully deploy an offside trap, then he has plenty of speed to get back. It is a very tight decision, but after play breaks down the flag is raised and the ball is brought back for the offside decision, thus relieving the pressure.
Combining defensive intelligence with obvious athletic prowess at such a young age is rare from central defenders. In Bella-Kotchap, Southampton have a confident young defender who is sure to attract interest from higher up the Premier League and further afield if his performances continue. Many will have been surprised from what they have seen from the 20-year-old, but Bella-Kotchap was never signed as one for the future – he is very much one for the present.
