Jobe Bellingham’s transfer to Borussia Dortmund will place huge expectancy on both the player and the club.
The Sunderland midfielder completed a £31million club-record switch to the Bundesliga giants on Tuesday – a path trodden by brother Jude in 2020.
Bellingham, who will wear the No.77 shirt for Dortmund, leaves the Black Cats after successfully helping the club regain its top-flight status.
Despite posting an impressive campaign for Sunderland, the jury remains out on whether he can cut it at the highest level.
Bellingham has never featured in top-flight football having played for Birmingham City prior to his move to the Stadium of Light.
There will be little time for him to prepare for the rigours of top-level football as he will be quickly whisked away to the FIFA Club World Cup which kicks off this weekend in the United States.
At the end of the revamped tournament, the 19-year-old will have to quickly prepare for a gruelling Bundesliga campaign with the addition of Champions League football.
While Bellingham has shown early promise just as Jude did during the early part of his career, much expectancy will be placed on his shoulders.
And according to European football expert Andy Brassell, Dortmund also have plenty to prove when it comes to developing talent – something that has waned in recent years.
“It’s interesting because he does follow in the footsteps of Jude. He carries the name, he carries the expectation but also it’s not just expectation on Jobe Bellingham’s side it’s expectation on Dortmund’s side as well,” Brassell told talkSPORT’s Trans Europe Express.
“We think of them as a fine developer, a fine finishing school of players but the reality is they’ve not been great at that in recent years and they’ve changed their transfer policy.
“They’ve gone for older players, more established players and they’ve spent a fortune especially wage wise on [Serhou] Guirassy and [Waldemar] Anton last summer.
GettyJobe Bellingham played a key role in Sunderland’s promotion to the Premier League[/caption] Dortmund’s last success stories were Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland but Andy Brassell doubts whether Dortmund’s development system was a factorGetty“You think of the two big players who’ve succeeded in recent times, it’s [Erling] Haaland and [Jude] Bellingham.
“You can’t really say that they’re products of a system or representative of something a club does really well.
“They would have succeeded anywhere,” Brassell added. “They developed at Dortmund, but they did so because Dortmund had them.
“It’s an interesting test case to see how good Jobe Bellingham is and to see if Dortmund can still do what we know them for doing.”
Bellingham took to social media to bid his final farewell to Sunderland on Tuesday and paid tribute to the fans and staff at the club for their part in his development.
“It’s time for me to say farewell to all the loyal people of Sunderland, who have powered me through two incredible years in red and white,” he said.
The Bellingham brothers will both be playing in the Champions League next seasonGetty“Your support, on so many occasions, has completely blown me away, especially in the times of adversity, which we pulled through together. You welcomed me with open arms as a kid leaving home for the first time, and I am proud that our relationship has grown to be so strong.
“I will always represent Wearside in all that I strive to achieve for the rest of my career, wherever that may be. I hope that I have made you proud along the way, and in return, you have made me the player that has reached the heights I find myself at today.
“I will love and remember you fondly for the rest of my life. To the staff, players and most importantly, the supporters, thank you so much and good luck for the future.”
Bellingham could make his first appearance for Dortmund during the group stages of the Club World Cup.
Dortmund will face Brazil’s Fluminense, Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa and Ulsan HD of South Korea.
Should the German outfit come out on top as group winners as widely expected, then it could set up a mouthwatering quarter-final clash with brother Jude and Real Madrid in a repeat of the 2024 Champions League final.
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