Jobe Bellingham has just departed Sunderland for Borussia Dortmund in a big-money move, three years after making his debut for his boyhood club Birmingham City.
Birmingham City have produced two of the finest talents in English football, in a fitting tribute to the brilliant work of the Blues academy.
Jude Bellingham departed Birmingham for Borussia Dortmund in 2020, which saw the Blues decide to retire his number 22 shirt in recognition of his remarkable rise to footballing stardom that has taken him to Real Madrid.
His younger brother, Jobe Bellingham, swapped St Andrews for the Stadium of Light in 2023 and has recently completed a deal to join Dortmund, which could break Sunderland’s most expensive sales record.
Ex-Birmingham manager Lee Bowyer knew the qualities Jobe possessed after granting him his debut in 2022.
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Ex-Birmingham City boss Lee Bowyer’s first impression of Jobe Bellingham
Bellingham made his first-team debut for boyhood club Birmingham in 2022, at just 16, in an FA Cup extra-time loss to Plymouth Argyle.
Bowyer, who spent 64 games in charge of the Blues, revealed his first impression of the youngster, and outlined the qualities in his game that the German giants came to admire three years later.
Via the BBC, Bowyer said in 2022: “Young Jobe (Bellingham) coming on looked so comfortable,
“He’s earned that, he’s been training with us for two, three, four weeks now, you can just see him growing and improving every day.
“I said to him after the game You’ve done really well, you’re a 16-year-old lad that dominated the ball, didn’t really give it away, tried to do the right things and when you did give it away you ran back, defended in your own box.
“He did a lot of good things and I said ‘I only gave you that opportunity because you’ve earned it’.
“He played with a confidence and that’s because he’s improving every day and I thought it was the right time and I’d like to think that I was right.”
The following season, Bellingham built on his first senior season by making 22 second tier appearances for the Blues as they finished 16th, which saw Sunderland swoop for his signature in 2023 for an initial £1.5m fee.
After following in his brother’s footsteps, Sunderland fans believe the Jude comparisons will be worse for Jobe now at Dortmund.
However, the Blues faithful will be delighted, with the club due a slice of Sunderland’s pie in the Bellingham sale.
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Fee Birmingham City earn after Jobe Bellingham sale from Sunderland to Dortmund
This season, Birmingham and club chief Tom Wagner have their sights set on promotion to the Premier League, and have set an “aggressive transfer strategy” in place to achieve just that.
EFL Analysis revealed in May that Birmingham were due a windfall in Bellingham’s exit, after the Blues inserted a 15 percent sell-on clause in Bellingham’s move to Sunderland.
Now, the club will receive a portion of the profits that the Black Cats have banked.
According to Sky Sports News reporter Keith Downie on X, Sunderland’s club-record sale of Bellingham totals a fee of £27.8 million, with the potential for £4 million in future add-ons.
As such, Birmingham are poised to inherit a £4.17 million fee courtesy of Bellingham’s transfer from Sunderland to Dortmund.
Birmingham have promised to smash their transfer record this summer, as Chris Davies’ side hunt for successive promotions, and the sizable fee banked from Bellingham’s departure will provide a healthy boost to their coffers as the summer transfer window continues.
Birmingham CityJobe Bellingham
