Jude Bellingham can reach the next level in Dortmund
Former Birmingham City boss Pep Clotet believes Jude Bellingham can reach the next level at Borussia Dortmund, and doesn’t think the Bundesliga outfit overpaid for the young Englishman.
After a transfer saga which also saw Manchester United interested in his services, Bellingham eventually made the move to Dortmund official after a fee of €29m was agreed with the Championship side, making him the most expensive 17-year-old in history.
He became Birmingham’s youngest player ever when he made his debut against Portsmouth in the League Cup, and has continued to develop into one of the most exciting young prospects in English and European football.
Clotet, who was assistant manager and then manager of the Blues between 2018 and 2020, has backed his former player to hit new heights in the Bundesliga.
“I know that it is a lot of money, especially now and through corona,” the Spaniard told Bild.
“But I’m honest: €26.5m is not too much for Jude. He has a huge future ahead of him in Dortmund – and I’m sure that he can advance to the next level there. And in the end, Dortmund will make a lot of money from him.”
When asked about Bellingham’s strengths and weaknesses, Clotet simply mentioned the fact that the youngster has only ever played professionally for one club.
“Jude is very self-critical, willing to learn and mentally very stable. He manages to create a connection between the team and fans like no other because he shows an insane passion,” he responded.
“He is very young and has never played in a club other than Birmingham. That is probably his only weakness. I advised him to learn the language as quickly as possible and to adapt to the new culture.”