JOBE DRAMA

As we all know, Jobe Bellingham was sold this summer very quickly after doing what he set out to do here which was get us back in the Premier League. Once his transfer to Borussia Dortmund was done, everyone involved seemed very happy. Dortmund got a very talented player, we got a good fee with a massive profit and Jobe got the chance to play for one of the biggest clubs in Germany/Europe, as well as future game time in the Champions League. Despite Jobe having only been with Die Schwarzgelben for a short period of time, it looks like there has been some backroom drama early into his Dortmund career...

The German top flight (Bundesliga) only started this weekend just gone and during Dortmund's first game away to St. Pauli, a team they should really be beating, Jobe was hooked at half time with his side leading 1-0 at the break. This is something he very rarely experienced at Sunderland, whether it be being subbed off or starting games on the bench, the only times I remember him not playing for us really was when he was injured, there were plenty of times he was used even when he was clearly heavily fatigued – which actually led to some thinking that there was a clause in his contract stating he had to play at pretty much every opportunity, much like Marc Guiu (Gyoooo) this season according to reports.

Dortmund went on to draw the game 3-3 in a thriller, with St. Pauli scoring two goals in the last ten minutes to tie the game against ten men. As you can imagine most players would be upset coming off at half-time, especially if you leave the pitch with your side ahead and then the final result is a disappointing one. I didn't watch Jobe's Bundesliga debut but by all accounts he didn't have a bad game where it would result in a sub by the manager, he had a 100% pass success rate however he didn't create much and he lost most of his duels, only winning two out of seven, something he excelled at in red and white. It seems like the change was purely tactical.

Anyway, according to multiple outlets, Mark Bellingham (Dad) who is also Jobe's agent/advisor and heavily involved in the careers of both of his children, Jobe and Jude, was furious at the gaffer's decision and made his thoughts known with their Sporting Director. They say that he waited for Jobe in the tunnel, and followed him into the locker room where the altercation happened. Apparently, it isn't too uncommon for parents or agents to be present post-match but obviously creating a scene is never a good way to settle into a new club.

After the match, word got out and Sporting Director Sebastian Kehl said this, fair to say he wasn't best pleased...

"We are all disappointed with yesterday's result. However, the players' area is and will remain exclusively for footballers, coaches, and staff, not for family members or agents. This will not happen again. We have clearly informed all parties involved."

Personally, I think it's a real shame this happened and hopefully things don't boil over further. I'm sure we're all rooting for Jobe even if he isn't here anymore. Dortmund are usually a well run club, so I'm confident things will get smoothed out and Jobe will smash it over there.