Controversial Bellingham: Young Dortmund star under heavy pressure | OneFootball

Following his highly publicized transfer to Borussia Dortmund, Jobe Bellingham is already under immense pressure. A high transfer fee, high expectations, and his father's intervention ensure that the BVB gem must prove himself on the pitch.

Jobe Bellingham moved from AFC Sunderland to Borussia Dortmund in the summer - with great anticipation, a lot of attention, and the added pressure of filling the shoes of his famous brother Jude. The 19-year-old's start made headlines both nationally and internationally, not least because of the Bellingham name and the recent appearance of his father Mark, who acts as an advisor.

The incident after the away game at FC St. Pauli quickly made headlines: Mark Bellingham stormed to sporting director Sebastian Kehl on August 23 after the 3:3 to express his displeasure about his son's early substitution. Internally, this was seen as a clear overstepping of boundaries. Later, the father apologized according to information from the Bild newspaper and promised not to repeat this. This has resolved the issue for Borussia Dortmund, but the teenager has since been under additional performance pressure: he must deliver on the pitch with the high expectations of his environment.

Did BVB pay too much for Bellingham?

Sportingly, Bellingham still presents a mixed picture. So far, he has hardly been involved in finishes, rarely sprinted, and when he did, it was rather slow. However, his passes, 90 percent of which arrived, and his duels, which he won 65 percent of the time, show his qualities.

Additional pressure is also generated by the transfer fee of around 30 million euros. "I spoke with people in the UK, and they said they paid way too much money for him," Sky expert Didi Hamann recently explained. In addition, Bundesliga competition, such as Eintracht Frankfurt, is said to have driven up the price for Bellingham due to their interest, according to information from the Bild. Despite this high sum, the BVB leadership still values the Englishman, and Kovac also sees him as a talented player.

For Jobe Bellingham, it is now important to prove himself both in the Bundesliga and internationally. The next opponent is Heidenheim, followed by the away trip to Juventus Turin in the Champions League. Whether he can keep up with his older brother in terms of football will only be revealed in the future - but the expectations and pressure are already noticeably high.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.