Ralph Hasenhüttl has labelled Southampton defender Armel Bella-Kotchap as a ‘monster’ after the defender was called up to Germany’s squad for the World Cup this week.
Bella-Kotchap joined Southampton in a €10m deal from VfL Bochum in the summer, a big move for a player who only made his Bundesliga debut in August 2021.
He’s been an ever present for Southampton since, making ten appearances in the Premier League and starting in all but one of the squads he’s been a part of.
His strong performances have not gone unnoticed, with Hansi Flick electing to call him up for the last international break as very much a surprise inclusion.
He was handed his debut, a solitary minute in the 3-3 draw with England at the end of September after sitting on the bench for the defeat to Hungary.
It had been felt that the Southampton man was unlikely to be a part of the group travelling to Qatar but one to keep an eye on moving forwards instead.
That did not prove to be the case, with Flick electing to call him up ahead of other big names such as Mats Hummels, a decision his former Southampton boss was not surprised about.
“(He is) a duel monster, very strong in 1:1 situations,” he told BILD, relayed by Sport Buzzer.
“He is very fast. You cand defend high with him (and he) plays good passes into the red zone, even over longer distances.
“It was very impressive how he asserted himself with us in the strongest league in the world.”
