Southampton made it back-to-back wins in the Championship with an enthralling 4-2 victory against Sunderland on Saturday, hoping to put any mishaps behind them in the process and power on to remain in the automatic promotion hunt.
Russell Martin's men are six points off Leeds United in second spot – which is a sizeable points gap as the games become more pressurised – but the Saints will still aim to make it tricky for Daniel Farke's men to seal a return to the Premier League whilst they feasibly can.
That dramatic win over the Black Cats was pulled off even without starting right-back Kyle Walker-Peters being available for selection, Manchester City loanee Taylor Harwood-Bellis filling in there as a result and passing the test of coming up against tricky Sunderland attackers well.
That has arguably depleted the numbers in the heart of defence, but regardless of a lack of numbers, Martin wouldn't call upon one expensive centre-back to start if he was back at his parent club.
Armel Bella-Kotchap's time at Southampton
Coming in through the door alongside fellow expensive captures such as Kamaldeen Sulemana and Romeo Lavia on the eve of Southampton's eventual relegation season of 2022/23, Armel Bella-Kotchap would join St. Mary's with a lot of hype attached to his name.
The Athletic reported at the time that the Saints had beaten numerous competitors to seal the sought-after Germany international's signature, with the now 22-year-old defender shining with VFL Bochum before relocating for a hefty £10m fee to England.
Bella-Kotchap – who would be referred to as "highly rated" by Fabrizio Romano when first signing – shone in spurts during that first season on the South Coast, but the confident centre-back wasn't helped by his side's precarious fate languishing in the Premier League drop-zone for the majority of the campaign.
1. GK – Gavin Bazunu
2. CB – Jan Bednarek
3. CB – Armel Bella-Kotchap
4. CB – Mohammed Salisu
5. RM – Kyle Walker-Peters
6. CM – James Ward-Prowse
7. CM – Stuart Armstrong
8. CM – Romeo Lavia
9. LM – Moussa Djenepo
10. ST – Adam Armstrong
11. ST – Mohamed Elyounoussi
The 22-year-old centre-back notably stood out in the contest directly after lining up for his debut against Leeds, assisting Che Adams' leveller against Leicester City as his new side then went on to win 2-1.
The silky 6 foot 3 Saints figure would win plaudits as a result of his comfortable nature playing out from the back, coming away from the 24 games he managed to play in the Premier League with an 89% passing accuracy in his own half and another assist tallied up.
Yet, with his team marooned in an intense battle at the foot of the table, Bella-Kotchap would fail to be a reliably dogged defensive option by only managing to contribute to a pitiful three clean sheets from those appearances.
The inevitable drop down to the Championship saw Bella-Kotchap's future at St. Mary's hang up in the air, with a rumoured release clause of £25m catching the eye of a number of higher-up suitors including Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool.
Yet, no such big move would come the 22-year-old's way with a loan move to PSV Eindhoven then deemed the best way to get the wantaway Saints man off the books last summer.
That move hasn't gone to plan whatsoever for the ex-Bochum defender, the Germany international finding himself to be a permanent fixture in the PSV treatment room if not being criticised for looking out of his depth in the Eredivisie.
Bella-Kotchap's time at PSV Eindhoven
The current PSV number six has only managed to make six appearances in his new surroundings in the Netherlands since joining last September, but that has included Bella-Kotchap getting a taste of Champions League football during his short stay.
Bella-Kotchap would start PSV's away tie in the competition at Arsenal in the same month he joined on loan, coming away from the match disheartened after being ran ragged by Martin Odegaard and Co at the Emirates Stadium in a 4-0 loss.
There would begin to be question marks over whether Bella-Kotchap was suited to the demands of Dutch top-flight football early into his stint in Eindhoven, with an ex-manager of the Dutch giants in Aad de Mos stating that the Saints loanee "can't handle the level" when discussing Bella-Kotchap in October.
Shortly after this scathing verdict from De Mos, the 6 foot 3 defender would pull up with a shoulder injury that would see him be sidelined until March this year where Bella-Kotchap has now started being drip-fed more minutes.
Having to make do with minutes in the Jong PSV side instead of the senior team currently, it's fair to say for a player who was once linked with a switch to Premier League title chasers Liverpool that this move has been an absolute nightmare.
Still, his future at Southampton cannot just be dismissed and there could well be a way for the £10m dud to return and fight for his spot next season and prove his worth again.
What the future holds for Bella-Kotchap's at Southampton
Southampton's fortunes on the pitch could well dictate whether or not they give the Saints flop another go at St. Mary's next season, with Bella-Kotchap turning his nose up at the prospect of Championship football hence his desire to leave on loan.
With the defender unlikely to be kept on at PSV though according to reports, the 22-year-old will have to soon come to terms with what a Southampton reunion would look like.
Bella-Kotchap did end up showing flashes of brilliance towards the start of his hot-and-cold Southampton career, and so Martin could well view the 6 foot 3 figure as a potential replacement for Harwood-Bellis when he heads back to the Etihad at the close of this season.
Regardless of what happens next for Bella-Kotchap, there's no doubt – at this moment in time – that the once highly-regarded starlet has never quite been able to live up to his previous immense hype.
But, with time on his side, he could still well have the last laugh and become a great talent at Southampton or elsewhere.