Borussia Dortmund are expected to offer their full backing to Jobe Bellingham despite his difficult start to life in Germany following his summer move.
The 20-year-old midfielder followed in the footsteps of his brother Jude by joining the Bundesliga giants, as he completed a £32million summer move from Sunderland.
Jude enjoyed a stunning three-season spell in Dortmund, scoring 24 goals and providing 25 assists in 132 matches, before joining Real Madrid.
By contrast, Jobe has had a more difficult start to life with the German side, scoring once in his 27 appearances to date.
He has made just five Bundesliga starts to date and was sent off on his most recent appearance last month when Dortmund drew 1-1 with Freiburg.
Dortmund’s hierarchy, however, are reportedly set to double down on Bellingham due to their belief the England Under-21 midfielder will come good.
Jobe Bellingham endured a difficult start to life at Borussia Dortmund after his summer move
Bellingham was sent off on his most recent league appearance for Dortmund in December
According to German newspaper Bild, Dortmund bosses have made the decision not to pursue a central midfielder signing in the January transfer window.
It comes despite Dortmund agreeing to sell Pascal Gross back to Brighton, a deal which was confirmed on Friday.
The report claims Dortmund chief executive Lars Ricken, sporting director Sebastian Kehl and head coach Niko Kovac have taken the decision to back Bellingham to find his form and make the position his own.
The trio are said to view Bellingham as a ‘training champion’ and believe that he will translate those performances onto the pitch in competitive matches when he gains more confidence.
Bellingham had joined Dortmund ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup last summer and scored his first – and to date only – goal against South African side Sundowns in just his second appearance.
The start of this season saw reports of a clash between Bellingham’s father Mark and club officials.
Mark, who also acts as his son’s advisor, had reportedly held an emotional discussion with Kehl after Jobe was substituted at half-time in Dortmund’s 3-3 draw with St Pauli.
It was reported that he had voiced his frustration over both the substitution and the team’s overall performance.
Dortmund bosses, however, are reportedly offering their full backing to Bellingham after opting against making a January move for a midfielder after selling Pascal Gross to Brighton
Mark Bellingham reportedly tried to confront the Dortmund manager over his son’s subbing back in August, leading to the club issuing a reminder to families and advisors
Jobe is the younger brother of Jude Bellingham, pictured (second right) with his family after signing for Real Madrid from Dortmund in June 2023
BILD added that Mark Bellingham sought a meeting with Kovac directly – and ‘made no secret of his opinion.’
Some Dortmund players are also said to have noticed how emotional he was, with his anger reportedly fuelled by both Jobe’s early substitution and the disappointing display.
Kehl later issued a reminder that the dressing-room area is strictly reserved for players and staff.
He said: ‘We are all disappointed about the result yesterday. And still, the active area at our club remains reserved for players, coaches and officials, not families and advisors.
‘This will not happen again. We have made this clear to all involved.’
The midfielder joined Dortmund in June after helping Sunderland win promotion from the Championship, signing a five-year deal.
His transfer fee, worth an initial £27.8m plus add-ons, set a new record for the Wearside club.
Despite the family connection, Jobe insisted at the time he had not crossed to Germany simply to follow in his elder brother Jude’s footsteps.
