Crystal Palace situation must tempt Jobe Bellingham to leave Sunderland after agreeing terms with the Eagles
Jobe Bellingham has attracted interest from Crystal Palace, who have experienced an extreme change in fortune since the arrival of Oliver Glasner, taking over from Roy Hodgson at the helm of the Croydon-based club.
Jobe has always been a player with a weight on his shoulders, seeing as the teenager’s older brother Jude has been setting the world alight, becoming the key man in a season where Real Madrid won the Champions League, as well as La Liga.
The teenager has been in great scoring form for the Black Cats in the Championship this season, with the Englishman scoring seven times in 43 appearances on Wearside, becoming a key part of all three managers’ systems in the second tier during the campaign.
Jobe’s Championship campaign did not take long to kick into pace, with the teenager scoring twice in a 2-1 win against early relegation favourites Rotherham United, in a performance which older brother Jude would have been proud of.
Manager at the time, Tony Mowbray, operated with Jobe in the number 10 role, and the attacking midfielder appeared to thrive in the system, allowing him to get on the ball often, both creating and finishing chances for the Black Cats.
There is no doubting the ability which Jobe has shown throughout his time at Sunderland this season. However, there will certainly be question marks from Crystal Palace fans regarding his playmaking ability, seeing as the attacking midfielder managed just one assist from 43 appearances in the Championship last season.
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However, seven goals in a season from an 18-year-old is seriously impressive, regardless of who your older brother may be.
It is clear that Jobe continues to improve each season, and his growth since joining Sunderland at the beginning of the 2023/24 season has been phenomenal.
From Jobe’s perspective, too, the move to Crystal Palace from Sunderland will be extremely mouth-watering on the back of another year of development.
Jobe fitting in at Crystal Palace
Oliver Glasner’s Palace side ended their top flight campaign on tremendous form, with the South London outfit ending unbeaten in seven, with their final game being a remarkable 5-0 victory over high-flying Aston Villa, who gained a Champions League spot.
However, it was not just results which have caught the eye of the footballing world – the exciting style of play and the aggressive nature of pressing that Glasner has directed Palace to incorporate has been nothing short of a phenomenon, with signing Adam Wharton being seen as one of the greatest acquisitions of last season.
The role in which Jobe would most likely play would be as part of the attacking midfield within Glasner’s 3-4-2-1 system, finding himself on the ball in the half spaces similar to the role that Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise played towards the end of last season, due to both of these players being heavily linked to moves away from the club this summer – Olise is expected to make a switch to Bayern Munich this summer, underlining the type of development and pathway Palace can offer stars coming out of the EFL.
