"Our season would go off the rails" - Jobe Bellingham, Sunderland AFC transfer exit fear raised | OneFootball

The Black Cats star has been incredibly impressive once again this season.

Sunderland AFC have had a fantastic first half of the season, and despite a slight drop-off from their pace early on in the campaign, they have maintained pace with the top two in the Championship.

The Black Cats head into Christmas in 4th after beating Norwich City 2-1 at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, and there will be hopes that the games over the festive period could put them into the top two for the start of 2025.

There have been vast improvements made by Regis Le Bris since he arrived in the north-west in the summer, and his young side are one of the surprise packages so far in 2024/25.

However, with the January transfer window just around the corner, there will be an interest in plenty of Sunderland's talented stars, and they must work to keep hold of them.

Verdict made on Sunderland's most valuable player

The squad that Le Bris has at his disposal is excellent, with the likes of Anthony Patterson, Chris Rigg and Tommy Watson all impressing despite their young ages.

However, there is one star who has attracted attention from both the Premier League, and abroad, and the Black Cats will do well to keep hold of him in January.

However, when asked by Football League World who is the club's most invaluable player, Sunderland Fan Pundit, Jack Austwicke, could only choose one.

He told FLW: "It’s Jobe Bellingham. We've seen it when he got sent off against QPR for those next three games we really struggled. We didn't win any of them without him and that says it all.

"If we lost him in January, our season would go off the rails for the rest of it, I'd imagine. He’s so important to our team, which is crazy considering he's only 19-years-old, but he plays an invaluable role."

"It could even be someone like Romaine Mundle, but then you've got the likes of Tommy Watson, once he’s fit. He’s been performing very well. But, it'd be Jobe Bellingham."

Bellingham will have plenty of interest in January

At just 19-years-old, Bellingham is already playing beyond his years, and he has played a huge role in helping his team into the battle for automatic promotion.

His performances have been recognised by the likes of Brentford already, but as reported exclusively by Football League World earlier in December, there is interest from across Europe.

That includes Borussia Dortmund, according to Sky in Germany, as the Bundesliga side look to complete a Bellingham double after they helped his older brother, Jude, develop into the player he is today.

Sunderland will know that keeping hold of the midfielder will be incredibly difficult in January, but if they are able to, then they will stand in good stead ahead of the second half of the season, and they have as good a chance as any to reach the Premier League for the first time since 2017.