When Jude Bellingham stepped up to Birmingham City’s first team in 2019, it was clear he had a huge career ahead of him.
Now, it looks as though his younger brother is set to follow in his footsteps after a successful first full season in the Blues‘ first team, with one of his teammates predicting he’ll be an ‘absolute monster’in the future.
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Just like Jude, Jobe Bellingham made his debut for the Blues at 16 years old, becoming the second youngest ever debutant to play for the club. He just missed out on beating the record set by his brother two years earlier.
After three senior team appearances last season, this campaign has seen the now-17-year-old secure regular first-team football under John Eustace.
With 22 games and five starts under his belt in 2022/23, Blues fans have got a flavour of what the England Under-18 can offer.
But despite being an attacking midfielder unlike his brother – who is closing in on a move to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund – it’s inevitable Jobe will be compared to his sibling.
Speaking to Kammy and Ben’s Proper Football Podcast on BBC Sounds about the youngster, Birmingham captain Troy Deeney said: “There’s a cluster of six or seven [at Birmingham] under the age of 22, Jobe being the youngest – he has just turned 17.
“He’s put on 10 kilos this year, he’s going to be an absolute monster just like his brother is.”
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But despite the Bellingham brothers having key similarities, Deeney believes Jobe will need a few more years than his brother did to reach the stage Jude is at – which is unsurprising given Jude went from the Championship to the England squad in less than a year.
“[Jobe] is going to be unbelievably talented, you can’t deny that, but it is just going to take him a year or two longer than his brother,” the Watford legend added.
“He’s in that shadow, isn’t he? Wonderful kid, wonderful family.”
Jobe has started the Blues’ last four fixtures with one game left before the end of the season, which sees them face already promoted Sheffield United.
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As a result, just like his brother, Jobe has been linked with a number of clubs this summer as his contract enters the final year, with reports Sunderland are amongst those keen on buying him.
But when asked about the links elsewhere, Eustace made it clear a move elsewhere wouldn’t be the best move for the younger Bellingham’s development.
“These boys are 17 and 18, they are not 20 or 21,” Eustace told Birmingham Live. “They are still growing into their bodies and all three of the young lads – [Jordan James, George Hall] and Jobe – are very young and still developing.
“They have done terrifically this season and have all had good minutes in a difficult season, where it was always going to be tough. But they have all played big parts in what we’ve done. Without a shadow of a doubt, they need another year or 18 months of developing and playing Championship football.
“Maybe when they’re 19, which is still very young, it might be a good time then to move on. We want to keep as many of the young players at this football club as we can and build the football club around them. Hopefully, they will be here for a lot longer.”
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