Premier League clubs such as Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool reportedly want Birmingham City’s Championship starlet Jude Bellingham.
Kevin Phillips believes that Jude Bellingham ‘has got everything’ at the age of just 16 with the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool linked with big-money moves for the Birmingham City wonderkid.
You can count the number of 16-year-olds playing regularly in any of England’s top five leagues on one hand. But Bellingham, who was born 10 months after Wayne Rooney made his senior debut in July 2003, is already one of the first names on Birmingham’s team-sheet these days, taking the Championship by storm from central midfield.
The England U17 star boasts a maturity and intelligence which belies his tender years and, in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Cardiff City at St Andrew’s, netted his fourth goal in senior football.
As you might have guessed, Bellingham’s eye-catching displays have not gone unnoticed. The Telegraph reports that Liverpool and Arsenal are interested while Wolverhampton Wanderers are keen to raid their Midland rivals for a teenager who could cost a staggering £25 million (The Sun, page 63, January 12).
And Phillips is confident that, if Bellingham continues on his current trajectory, then there is nothing to stop arguably England’s next great midfielder from reaching the ‘very top’ of the game.
“I’ve watched him a lot live this season and, yeah, he has got everything,” the former England international told EFL on Quest (18 January, 9pm).
“He is a good midfielder player but he scores goals as well, he puts himself in good positions. At that age, he is a leader as well and he’s not afraid to give people a telling off when they need it.
“He’s going to the very top.”
Speaking on Saturday, Blues coach Pep Clotet admitted that ‘half of Europe’ have been scouting a midfielder whose potential began to be noticed by rival clubs at the tender age of 13 (Birmingham Mail).
Birmingham fans everywhere know that Bellingham will not stick around forever and it seems like a case of ‘enjoy him while you can’.
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