Having failed a late deal to go on loan to Bayern Munich on transfer deadline day, Armel Bella-Kotchap eventually got the exit from Southampton he wanted a few hours later.
PSV Eindhoven, in need of a new centre-back, decided to go after the German centre-back, and managed to get him on a loan, which has delighted their director of football Earnest Stewart, who spoke to Eindhovens Dagblad relayed by Soccer News.
The player will return to Southampton at the end of the season, with the hope the Saints will have returned to the Premier League by that point, all the while having acquired experience in a top league while getting regular minutes.
He said: “We could have had an option to buy, but we could never had paid that option. Therefore, it is pointless, and that is why we did not include it. Furthermore, when it comes to contracts, we want to keep control.
“Preferably no clauses that don’t put as at the wheel, although you can never say never because agreements can be made in negotiations.”
Bella-Kotchap had been linked with an exit this summer ever since Southampton were relegated back to the Championship, and many believed it would come sooner.
However, a tug of war between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich delayed matters, to the point where his loan to the latter collapsed at the last minute.
This allowed PSV to strike late and get their man on a comfortable deal for one season.
