"10 years at the top" - In-demand Sunderland AFC star lauded as Regis Le Bris' best player | OneFootball

Jobe Bellingham has impressed FLW's Sunderland fan pundit

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 has been hailed as Sunderland's best player, which perhaps isn't too much of a surprise in light of the performance levels that have been exhibited under Regis Le Bris this season.

Sunderland have managed to dust off the cobwebs left from a disappointing 2023/24 campaign, which saw them fail to follow up on the prior term's shock play-off charge by finishing in 16th position, and now appear serious promotion contenders.

The Black Cats enjoyed an electrifying start to the current season and spent plenty of time at the top of the league table, although they've just halted ever so slightly as of late amid a string of injuries and suspensions to an already-light squad at Le Bris' disposal. The Frenchman has been without the likes of Romaine Mundle, Eliezer Mayenda, Alan Browne, and Daniel Ballard in recent weeks although many will pinpoint Bellingham's absence through suspension as a critical reason for Sunderland's relative drop-off in form.

The 19-year-old prodigy was sent off during the second half of his side's 0-0 draw away to QPR at the start of November, and they were forced to settle for a point in each of their three games without him.

He returned to the fray against West Bromwich Albion last night but was unable to stop Le Bris' side from recording a fourth consecutive stalemate.

Bellingham, who had played every available league minute before receiving his marching orders at Loftus Road and serving a three-match suspension, showed signs of real promise last season by scoring seven goals but now resembles an even more refined player this time around, having struck a sensational midfield partnership with fellow prospects Chris Rigg and Dan Neil.

When asked to name his side's best player along with using one word to describe the individual, our resident Sunderland fan pundit, Jack Austwicke, ultimately went with Bellingham but took time to laud other key assets.

"This is tough because with the team at the minute there are so many good players - [Luke] O'Nien, [Dennis] Cirkin, [Wilson] Isidor, Rigg," Jack told Football League World.

"But I'd have to go with Jobe Bellingham. I really, really do think he is fantastic and the drop-off we've seen since his suspension hasn't been a mystery or a coincidence.

"I think he's brilliant. One word - mature. To elaborate on that, he's mature beyond his years. He's brilliant, 19-years-old but looks like he's played the game for 10 years at the top level, and he hasn't.

"He's got a huge career ahead of him, I think he's absolutely brilliant."

Sunderland must resist January transfer interest in Jobe Bellingham

It's no real surprise that the young midfielder's performances, which do indeed belie his youthful age, have prompted interest elsewhere, and Sunderland may face a battle in retaining his signature when the January transfer window rolls around despite their evident promotion credentials.

According to a recent report from TBR Football, Sunderland aren't interested in entertaining any offers for their prized assets in January and intend for any suitors to wait until the end of the season before holding discussions, by which point their Premier League pursuit will be concluded one way or another.

The report claims that they've adopted this non-negotiable stance with both Bellingham and Rigg, who have both earned significant interest elsewhere.

It adds that Bellingham is currently the subject of interest from Crystal Palace, West Ham United, Marseille, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, the latter of which is, of course, where older brother Jude moved to from Birmingham City back in 2020 and excelled before earning his eventual switch to Real Madrid last summer.

That's bound to be a factor not entirely lost on Bellingham, who Sunderland simply must retain until the end of the season at the very least. Should they gain promotion, they'll fancy their chances of keeping hold of him for even longer and he's every bit capable of becoming a top-flight star in good time, although you would imagine that Sunderland may have to accept defeat with Bellingham and Rigg if they fall short of returning to the promised land.

They'll no doubt receive some eye-watering offers for the duo too, particularly in the case of Bellingham, who has more first-team experience. But we've already seen just how important he is to this Sunderland side, which doesn't function in quite the same manner in his absence, and because of that, any potential exit from the Stadium of Light in January really must be avoided at all costs.