Bellingham had solely performed within the Championship earlier than his arrival in Dortmund and needed to cope with extremely excessive expectations from the get-go.
Dortmund paid roughly the identical switch payment for him as they did for his brother Jude when he joined in 2020.
Jude was deemed a generational expertise on the age of 17 after just one full season with Birmingham Metropolis. In the meantime, Jobe – albeit gifted – spent a number of years at Birmingham and Sunderland. He wanted an extended runway to get to Dortmund.
And but Dortmund made positive to pound the narrative that historical past might repeat itself.
The three-year-long run with Jude was a win-win for everybody. He virtually instantly established himself as one of the vital promising midfielders within the Bundesliga and finally left for Actual Madrid after a terrific spell for a document switch payment.
Maybe expectations for the youthful brother had been too excessive in August, particularly following Bellingham's performances on the Membership World Cup. The downfall occurred rapidly, however so can his rise.
Within the video games following the loss to Bayern Munich, Bellingham has began to impress increasingly more, regardless that he's nonetheless solely a substitute within the Bundesliga.
He performed 120 minutes in opposition to Eintracht Frankfurt within the German Cup, as Dortmund powered by way of to the penalty shootout on enemy soil and superior to the subsequent spherical.
Even his effort in opposition to Augsburg within the Bundesliga on Friday didn't go unnoticed. Dortmund tried to sail dwelling with a 1-0 lead and Bellingham made positive to disclaim just a few of Augsburg's offensive makes an attempt.
“I consider issues go quicker than even I might have imagined, as a result of the lad has actually numerous high quality,” Kovac stated after Friday's recreation.
There's a reasonable probability that with time, Bellingham will turn out to be a daily starter in Dortmund's central midfield.
Sabitzer has not set the world on fireplace as a playmaker. And Gross, whereas revered and all the time dependable – as Brighton followers can attest – is 34 and can't go full power each recreation anymore.
Dortmund won't get a Jude-like fairytale, however with endurance, the youthful Bellingham might flip into a hit story.
