Ivan Juric left puzzled by struggling player's recent comments | OneFootball

Ivan Juric believes Armel Bella-Kotchap should be cheerful for his recently increased lineup preference, instead of thinking more about future transfers.

No Southampton fan can deny that the club's repute has seen an unreal downfall in the Premier League lately. But is it because of their quality? No, at least for me, it's been due to an emotional cut of modern players.

After all, from seeing one club legends like Matt Le Tissier, the Saints have fallen to a stage where the club's badge doesn't feel loved anymore.

If that spirit still existed, maybe one wouldn't have expected a £22 million flop Sulemana to draw him into weird comparisons after a very recently discovered form.

But, if Sulemana’s recent antics were hard to swallow, what Bella-Kotchap just did might sting even more.

You’ve probably noticed Bella-Kotchap’s recent return to the lineup. Having struggled for game time since his PSV loan return, the German had enjoyed the status of the club's first-choice centre-back for the first time.

Feels like a relief for the defender, right? Well, it is, but this brief run of success seems to have already distracted him again. This is because recently, Bella-Kotchap expressed his openness to a new challenge in a summer move.

Ivan Juric urges Bella-Kotchap to focus on his current tenure

Naturally, such behaviour demanded reprimand from someone, and thankfully boss Juric has done the needful. Ahead of the upcoming matchday, Juric hinted the centre-back to remain in touch on the ground.

As quoted by the Daily Echo, questioning his comment, Juric said: "I think after two years he started to play, he has to be happy because he continued to play. I think he has to be focused on these eight games."

Well, it's definitely time for Bella-Kotchap to follow this advice with heads down. Even now, with the return of Captain Jack Stephens, his place in the Saints starting eleven has become prone again, and it would need sincere efforts to be reclaimed.