Jobe Bellingham reacts to official Sunderland footage despite walking out on Mackems
Sunderland’s summer has been dominated by the future of Jobe Bellingham.
The reigning Championship Young Player of the Year played a huge role in the Mackems securing their promotion back to the Premier League for the first time since 2017, but has since opted to depart the club.
Bellingham ultimately opted to move to Borussia Dortmund after receiving interest from several top clubs in both England and Germany.
Sunderland will have been devastated to see Bellingham leave, but can at least take solace from the fact that they netted a healthy transfer fee for their young star, which should help them massively in their attempts to build a squad capable of competing for top-flight survival.
Bellingham reacts to Sunderland video
Regis Le Bris will undoubtedly find it difficult to replace Bellingham at the Stadium of Light, given the trajectory that his career has been on since his move from Birmingham City.
The 19-year-old was excellent for the Black Cats throughout last season and displayed a level of maturity beyond his years by taking on such responsibility in the side.
Le Bris’ men secured their promotion in dramatic fashion, thanks to stoppage-time goals to clinch both of their play-off ties.
Dan Ballard sent them to Wembley with a towering header a matter of seconds before an impending penalty shootout in the semi-final, and one month on from that memorable night, the club have posted once again posted footage of the goal on their Instagram page (13 June).
Bellingham responded by liking the post.
Bellingham earned his move to Dortmund
There had been suggestions from some quarters that Bellingham should avoid moving to Dortmund, so not to follow in the footsteps of his older brother.
However, with the German giants’ track record of developing young talent, there can be no denying the fact that it is a hugely exciting move for the youngster.
| Season | Apps | Goals | Assists |
| 2024/25 | 43 | 4 | 3 |
| 2023/24 | 47 | 7 | 1 |
| Total | 90 | 11 | 4 |
BVB provided the perfect stepping stone for his older brother to reach international stardom, and that same platform also benefited Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland during their stints at the club.
Signing for the Westfalenstadion outfit now allows Bellingham to test himself in a top European league, but remain somewhat sheltered from the pressure of the media and the support back home.
Nobody on Wearside will begrudge him for his decision, and if the midfielder continues to progress as expected, then it’s possible that Sunderland’s sell-on clause could see them make further profit from the sale.