Southampton issued clear Armel Bella-Kotchap transfer verdict - defender nears end of "disaster" Saints spell | OneFootball

Armel Bella-Kotchap is set to leave Southampton for the French club Nantes, and FLW's Southampton fan pundit isn't losing sleep over it.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Southampton are set to send Armel Bella-Kotchap to Nantes on loan with an option to purchase estimated at around £7.7 million.

The Saints haven't had a clearly smooth ride since their return to the Championship, with a win, a draw and a defeat from their opening three matches.

New head coach Will Still may still have some work to do on his squad before the closure of the summer transfer window, and this involves moving players on as well as bringing them in.

One player reportedly now on his way towards the exit door at St Mary's is defender Armel Bella-Kotchap. He signed for the Saints in 2022, but his time with the club has not been happy, with just 28 League appearances for them over that three-year spell, which included a year out on loan.

Bella-Kotchap is now on his way to the French club Nantes, who have agreed to a loan with an option to purchase for €9 million (approx. £7.7 million).

"Nightmare" - Southampton handed clear Armel Bella-Kotchap transfer claim

Football League World spoke to our Southampton fan pundit Martin Sanders about this deal, and it's safe to say that he's not losing sleep over Bella-Kotchap leaving his club.

"Yeah, sell him," said Sanders.

"It's the biggest, longest saga of any player in such a long time. It's been a nightmare since he arrived, to be honest. It's just been a disaster zone."

Martin also appears very happy with the reported fee that Southampton could end up collecting for the Germany international too.

"(He's) just not good enough for the league. If we got €9 million, that would be unbelievable.

"A player who doesn't want to be there, and a player we want to get rid of. So all in all, a very, very good deal."

Armel Bella-Kotchap has had a difficult time in England with Southampton

When Bella-Kotchap first arrived at Southampton from German side VfL Bochum in the summer 2022 transfer window for a reported €10 million (£8.6 million), he was something of a hot property.

He made his debut for the Germany national team within a few weeks of his arrival at the club and was selected in their squad for the 2022 World Cup finals.

But on the club football front, things didn't go so well.

Bella-Kotchap had an injury-disrupted first season with the club, although he did manage 24 Premier League appearances for Southampton throughout the 2022-23 season, but a spell on loan in the Netherlands with PSV only brought more injuries - he only made six appearances for them - while a mooted move to Hoffenheim failed as a result of his medical with the German club.

Last season, he was back at St Mary's, and an injury crisis got him back into the team. But he only made a further four appearances for them, and by the summer he was training with the under-21s, with new Saints head coach Will Still having no interest in the player.

For all this, there has been a lot of interest in the player, with interest in him from the Turkish club Trabzonspor, as well other clubs from across the continent.

His departure will bring down the curtain on an unhappy three years with Southampton, and considering his injuries and lack of game-time since he's been there, Southampton certainly seem to have pulled off a good deal, if they can end up getting almost all the money back that they paid for him in the first place.