"I just felt" - Birmingham City: Claim made on Jobe Bellingham after St Andrew's exit | OneFootball

FLW's Birmingham City fan pundit wishes the Blues had held off from selling Jobe Bellingham when they did.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Jobe Bellingham may be following in the footsteps of his older brother, Jude.

Like Jude, Jobe Bellingham began his career as a youngster in the Birmingham City setup, and made his first-team debut at a very young age.

Naturally, a lot of attention was placed on the younger Bellingham brother after Jude began to impress for Borussia Dortmund, England and later Real Madrid, but Jobe quickly proved that he should not be judged based on his older brother's achievements.

Jobe became a regular starter for Birmingham towards the end of the 2022/23 season, after making a number of appearances off the bench.

Fast-forward a year and a half, and the younger Bellingham is now being heavily linked with a move to Borussia Dortmund, after his impressive performances at Sunderland.

It has now been revealed that Dortmund do not have the funds to afford the €20 million valuation that Sunderland have set on him, so may have to wait until the summer to secure a deal.

The 19-year-old left Birmingham at the age of 17 to join fellow Championship club, Sunderland, where he has since become a hugely influential player.

From a Birmingham point-of-view, they may look back on their sale of the younger Bellingham brother with regret.

Birmingham City fan highlights Jobe Bellingham regret

FLW's Birmingham fan pundit, Mike Gibbs, was asked which player the club sold too early, and this is what he had to say.

"I think there has been lots of players that the club sold before they made first-team appearances. Trevan Sanusi's the latest one that went to Newcastle before he made his first full appearance. Over the years we've lost many players, as have a lot of clubs.

"I think the one, for me, in recent memory is probably Jobe Bellingham. He obviously made a number of appearances for the Blues, not the meteoric rise his brother had, but was slowly starting to work his way into the team.

"The fact that we sold him for, I think, up to £3 million, I just felt we should have kept hold of him for a bit longer. You can see now the sort of player he has matured into at Sunderland.

"I think his price has skyrocketed as well, there is talk of Dortmund wanting him for €25 million. I feel like if we had been able to keep hold of him, he would have done really well."

Jobe Bellingham's 2024/24 campaign so far

The 19-year-old has really stepped it up a gear this season, and has become one of the first names on the team sheet for Sunderland. Bellingham has made 13 Championship starts already this season, and has contributed to three goals.

His versatility in midfield has meant that Regis Le Bris can position him as the defensive midfielder or give him a more advanced role when necessary.

Sunderland have enjoyed an exceptional season so far, and they currently sit level on points with the league leaders, Leeds United. Bellingham has missed the last three games due to injury, so it is perhaps no coincidence to see the Black Cats have gone four games without a win.

The aim for Sunderland will be promotion, given their superb start to the season, and keeping hold of Bellingham will be key in achieving that. Birmingham City fans must be looking at his links to Borussia Dortmund and wondering 'what if?'.