How Borussia Dortmund now feel about Jobe Bellingham after £30m Sunderland move

Add as preferred source on Google

Borussia Dortmund are insisting that they do not have huge concerns about their summer signing Jobe Bellingham, and there are no thoughts of him departing early from his German adventure, TBR Football has been told.

The 20-year-old followed in the footsteps of his brother Jude by making the move to the Signal Iduna Park.

Bellingham joined Dortmund in a £30 million deal from Championship Sunderland, despite interest from a number of Premier League clubs – but his intention was always to head to Germany.

Bellingham joined ahead of the Club World Cup, but in the domestic season, he has spent as much time on the bench as he has starting.

There have been reports in Germany that Bellingham and his family were concerned about his lack of starts; however, this has been denied and downplayed by sources that have spoken to TBR Football.

Exclusive: Borussia Dortmund are happy with Jobe Bellingham

Chief correspondent Graeme Bailey exclusively informed TBR Football that Dortmund have no plans to offload Bellingham despite the ongoing speculation regarding his future.

Bailey states: “Dortmund do not see Bellingham as having a struggle to this point, they are second in the league, he is contributing, and their head coach Niko Kovac has no issue with the player.

“He is being used, he has featured a number of times, and they do point to the fact that this is a player that has never played top-flight football before this season.

“Dortmund invested good money into this young player, and they are not currently thinking about parting ways, they are happy with how things are going thus far.”

TBR Football exclusively revealed in May that Manchester United and Crystal Palace wanted Jobe this summer after he helped guide Sunderland to the top-flight via the playoffs.

Sunderland were hopeful Jobe would remain at the Stadium of Light ahead of their first Premier League campaign since 2017, but his sale allowed Regis Le Bris to invest heavily in his squad.

He started Dortmund’s opening two Bundesliga matches but has since found himself consigned to the bench with ex-Manchester City midfielder Felix Nmecha lining up alongside Marcel Sabitzer in central midfield.

Bellingham was criticised by the media for his poor performance in his first Champions League start against Athletic Bilbao, despite his side winning 4-1 on the night.

Niko Kovac speaks out about Jobe Bellingham’s playing time

The Dortmund boss has fielded many questions about the midfielder since he arrived in Germany, with many expecting Jobe to replicate the achievements of his brother.

During an interview with German news outlet Kicker, Kovac explained the reasoning behind Bellingham’s managed minutes in the Bundesliga.

“Everyone wants to play more. Everyone wants to play every minute, but then you only need eleven players.

“When you sign a contract here, it’s not only well paid but it also means that there’s a hell of a lot of competition.”

As relayed in the report, Kovac said, “Jobe is a very talented player,” but also “obviously comes from the English second division, who has great potential, but also a player who naturally has to grow into the game here.”