Sunderland have announced the signing of Jobe Bellingham from Birmingham City on a long-term contract.
The 17-year-old, who is the younger brother of recently-acquired Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham, joins the Black Cats having made 22 appearances for the Blues 2022-23 in what was his breakout season.
Like Jude, Jobe began his career at Birmingham but will now start a new chapter at Sunderland after they missed out on Premier League promotion last season, losing 3-2 on aggregate to Luton Town in the playoff semi-finals.
Jobe stated he is filled with excitement getting to play for Sunderland and is already welcomed by the club’s fans.
“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and I can’t wait to get started,” he said on the club website.
“I spent many years at Birmingham and that really helped my development, but now felt like the right time to take the next step.
“I’m looking forward to working under the Head Coach – I want to learn and develop my game – and I feel like I’m progressing every week, so playing with good players will only help that.
“The Stadium of Light is the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in and the fans have already made me feel welcome online, so I’m excited to get going and I’m focused on letting my football speak for itself.”
Jude took to Twitter to react to the announcement of his brother’s transfer to Sunderland using emojis that expressed love and happiness over the news.
???????????? https://t.co/4BFUh6WSoe
— Jude Bellingham (@BellinghamJude) June 24, 2023
Bellingham’s first taste of competitive action for Sunderland would be on the opening weekend of the Championship when the Black Cats host Ipswich Town at the Stadium of Light on August 6.
It will be followed by an EFL Cup first round tie against Crewe Alexandra two days later.
