Jobe Bellingham To Dortmund: Prospect or PR Stunt?

Sebastian Kehl - Borussia Dortmund's Sporting Director - recently hijacked the Bellingham family holiday in Ibiza to advance talks over the family's youngest member making a big-money move to Germany.

Two things can be true here. The first is that Kehl wanted a trip to Ibiza on expenses, and negotiating a transfer was a good means to do that. The second is that Jobe Bellingham genuinely ranks highly on Dortmund's list of transfer priorities this summer. Given the 19-year-old's rise at Sunderland over the past two seasons, and the reported £25 million price tag on his head, the latter of these is more likely.

With his Dortmund arrival now official, Jobe may have an almost impossibly hard task. When his brother (Jude, just in case the connection wasn't immediately obvious) signed for The Black and Yellow in 2020, he had just turned seventeen and carried a £25 million price tag. By the time he was 19, he had just signed for Real Madrid.

Since then, he has proven himself as one of the world's best midfielders. Jobe’s biggest challenge may be the unavoidable comparisons with his brother. But Jude is nothing less than a freak of nature - and Jobe can no doubt become an elite midfielder without necessarily reaching the heights of Madrid's golden boy.

19-year-old Jobe Bellingham is joining Dortmund from Sunderland, per multiple reports.

Following in his brother’s footsteps ⚫🟡 pic.twitter.com/kHztB2VY5f

— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 8, 2025

More Than A Surname?

Over the course of two seasons at Sunderland, Bellingham has established himself as one of the Championship's most exciting players, and showcased a skillset not dissimilar to many of the world's elite.

Perhaps Jobe's most notable asset is his exceptional ball control. Despite being almost 6'3", the teenager has become very adept to receiving the ball in tight spaces - whether that's on the edge of his own box or in the final third - and weaving himself between defenders before driving into space, or finding an 'out ball'. He is well accustomed to using his physical presence to his advantage in possession.

In his first season at Sunderland, Bellingham was seen as a more attacking midfielder, able to use his powerful dribbles and intelligent final third positioning to his benefit. As a result of his positioning and ghost-like runs, four of the seven goals he scored in the 2023/24 Championship came from inside the six-yard box. Two were sensational long-range strikes coming after driving runs, and the other was a cutback where he waited in space to receive a chance for a first-time finish. Essentially, he was demonstrating a versatile skillset and game intelligence beyond his years.

Talk about names all you want with Jobe Bellingham, but here is the only thing that actually matters:

For the last two years, without exception, he played for the name on the front of the shirt, not the one on the back.

Hope he absolutely smashes it at Dortmund. #SAFC 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/Cgefjmm5mV

— Michael Graham (@Capt_Fishpaste) June 4, 2025

This season, Bellingham adopted a deeper role, but became more involved in build-up and general play as a result. His touches per 90 soared from 44 in 2023/24 to 56 in 2024/25. This season he rose into the Championship's top third for each of progressive passes, progressive passes received, and progressive carries. Not mind-blowing figures in any individual metric, but to rank highly on each of these figures demonstrates the teenager's versatility.

Another of Bellingham's biggest strengths is his mindset. He has never appeared fazed by the enormous pressure he has been under since he was sixteen, and former Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray has claimed that Jobe's willingness to learn is his "greatest asset".

"He's always asking questions every day, asking us coaching where we want him and why and what he should be doing. He's just a joy to work with."

The “and why” in that sentence might be the most revealing part. It’s one thing for a teenager to pepper coaches with questions - but seeking to understand the purpose behind each instruction shows a level of insight and curiosity that’s rare at 19, and a true testament to Bellingham's burning desire to learn.

15-year-old Jobe Bellingham was there when Jude signed for Dortmund in 2020.

Five years later, he's reportedly set to join the club himself ⭐ pic.twitter.com/r7q2HH7d39

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) June 8, 2025

The Question Marks

For all of his strengths, Jobe is certainly not the finished article just yet. He is entirely unproven at a level above the Championship, and the pressure that will come with a move to Dortmund will reach a level he hasn't experienced so far in his career.

His game also doesn't have one standout feature. While we've discussed Bellingham's exceptional ball control and versatility, he is yet to develop a definitive quality. That's not to say he never will; his eagerness to better himself will allow him to continue growing, but if fans are expecting to see a complete, Jude-level prospect the moment he steps foot on the pitch at Signal Iduna Park, they will likely be disappointed.

It's unlikely that Jobe will ever reach the mesmerising heights that his brother has, and almost certain that he won't at such a young age. But there is no doubt a top level player is there, waiting to be unleashed.

Should Dortmund nurture Jobe in the same manner they did Jude, then the Yellow Wall could be chanting the Bellingham name for years to come.