Jobe Bellingham joined Sunderland for only £3 million in the summer.
The Black Cats knew they weren’t getting his brother Jude, but there was still very high expectations for a player that had been criticised by Birmingham City fans.
The ‘ludicrous talent’ made 22 appearances for his boyhood club last season before securing a move away, with Blues fans claiming he really wasn’t that good anyway.
Well, Jobe has certainly shut them up with his stellar start to life on Wearside. The youngster was expected to rotate in and out of the line-up, but he is arguably one of the first names on the team-sheet now.
Sunderland fans love him, but his brilliant performances and relation to one of the best footballers on the planet makes life a little tricky for those in the North-East.
We aren’t allowed to just simply enjoy having a player of such quality on our books. There has been a constant comparison between Jobe and Jude, and so it comes as no surprise to see talk of him already leaving the club.
Though it is definitely more of a surprise that it is Real Madrid sending scouts to watch Jobe with the England U19s, with the European giants considering reuniting the two brothers.
While a lovely fairytale and a move I’m sure the pair would love to be able to work out, Jobe would be daft to make the switch so soon.
While Jude was already at Borussia Dortmund at his brother’s age, Jobe is still far from ever matching his quality. If the 18-year-old wasn’t related to the Real Madrid star then he certainly wouldn’t be even considered by the Spanish outfit.
Jobe doesn’t want to be compared to Jude
Jobe joined Sunderland because he knew how brilliant we are at developing young players, so he would be making a huge mistake if he throws that all away within months of arriving at the club.
The midfielder would be sent out on a number of loans or he would spend years in the youth ranks, weighed down by the constant expectations on him to reach his brother’s level.
Jobe ditched the last name from his first game at the Stadium of Light as he wanted to be his own man and didn’t want to constantly be compared to his sibling. A move to Real Madrid would escalate that and he would never be able to enjoy his own journey.
Of course, the teenager won’t stay at Sunderland forever, we know that. He is a star that is way too talented for us and he will likely end up at top club, but he needs to slow things down and not jump the gun.