SAINTS defender Armel Bella-Kotchap has opened up on his "rollercoaster" deadline day which saw him join PSV on a season-long loan.
The 21 year old saw a loan with a view to a permanent move to German champions Bayern Munich fall through after the transfer wasn't completed before the 5 PM deadline.
Other markets were tested for interest, which saw the centre-back, who joined Southampton from Bochum last summer, join last season’s Eredivisie runners-up.
Speaking to PSV's media team following the confirmation of his loan switch, Bella-Kotchap opened up on his hectic deadline day.
The German international said: "It was a bit like a rollercoaster, there was a lot of things going on.
"In the end, I am really happy that it worked out and I'm very happy to be here.
"It was very late in the evening when I found out I was going to be a PSV player. My agent gave me a call and said that it was done.
"I knew that deadline day was going to be a busy day, especially because you never know what's going to happen on deadline day.
"You need to be ready for that, I was prepared which made it easy for me to come through."
Peter Bosz's side have qualified for the Champions League and have been drawn in Group B alongside Sevilla, Arsenal and Lens.
Asked why he believes that a move to the Dutch league is the best step in his young career Bella-Kotchap responded: "I like the culture here.
"This club gives me the opportunity to play on the biggest stage. They are also playing with a lot of young players which fits with the way that I want to play.
"I had a good chat with the manager and he convinced me to make the decision.
"I want to achieve a lot of things - I want to have a great season playing on the biggest stage.
"With PSV I've got that opportunity and I want to use it to go as far as possible.
"We had a tough season last year at Southampton, but I feel like I can grow and learn from that.
"I have a lot of things to learn and I think there is a great opportunity for me to do that."
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