Jude Bellingham | Signed for Madrid

Status
Not open for further replies.
Baxquux said:
He's a Birmingham fan.

Also, I think people underestimate the combined impact of money and a non-dysfunctional setup. United have been gazumped previously due to the former under SAF - mainly by Chelsea and Romanbucks - and then as a result of the latter (through combination of executive and 'footballing' incoherence or inefficiency) post SAF. In light of a takeover and ETH in place, the power Klopp's previous achievements held aren't just fading as active counter-currency but his very longevity (and the more general tendency, which he exhibited at Dortmund, for managers to lose their efficacy at a club after a certain period) has to count against them. Madrid essentially have their longterm midfield 3 in place and aren't going to pay 120+ for a first-reserve.

United also have a track record of concrete interest in him, and the negative factors that were at play at the time (lack of coaching pedigree from OGS; tarnished brand and recent reputation for exec mismanagement. JBs own uncertainty about starting given expecttaions of the club, even in their then precarious relationship to challenging for top4/trophies, and his age) have more or less dissipated.

It would still help to have confirmation of Glazers out ASAP and time to work on the deal (which, whoever buys him, probably won't be completed before early Summer, if this year)
Click to expand...

Do we need him though, is the pertinent question? The prototype for ETH's preferred CM seems to be someone like Casemiro and someone like Eriksen. Bellingham is more of an in between, all round type of player, isn't he? Can he move the ball between the lines and pull the strings like Eriksen can?

My viewing of him is limited, so I can't say I know for sure what type of player he really is, but the few times I have watched him, I can't really figure out where he would fit in for us.
 
Won't let me post the link,

#ManCity are not believed to be favourites for Jude Bellingham but are certainly interested in him. Some in the industry feel Bellingham currently prefers Liverpool as he would be a better fit stylistically for Jurgen Klopp’s team.

[@David_Ornstein/@MarioCortegana/@honigstein]
 
Only clubs I can see paying close to the rumoured fee currently in England are City and Chelsea. Madrid would be another if they see him a long term prospect.

If he stays and rejects a new contract for Dortmund, then having one year left in 2024 opens up his Liverpool chances and other clubs. He could sign an extension with a clause in it, he's still very young, a good player with lots of time left to make a move later. Right now he might be just too expensive for some and not a necessity for others that could afford him this summer.

Maybe if he really fancies Liverpool project and talks to Dortmund expressing he won't renew, perhaps the club can strike a deal more around the 80-100 million figure.
 
From the Athletic,

Forget the suitors for a minute, Bellingham’s current club are vital to this process, with the player under contract until the end of the 2024-25 season.

Dortmund have no need to sell but equally are unlikely to stand in the player’s way if the money is right and he wants to leave. The German side have consistently made it clear they want around €150million (£132m; $160m) for their star player, a fee that will play a big part in who is able to do the deal.
Through all of this process, it is important to remember that it’s possible, albeit unlikely, that Bellingham stays another year in Germany. He’s the key man at a big Champions League club and has worn the captain’s armband on occasions. He will want to get this next move right — and if that means waiting, so be it. If that happens, don’t be surprised if he extends his contract by a year with a set buyout clause for the following summer.

Bellingham is Liverpool’s No 1 target for the summer as they look to rebuild a midfield in need of an injection of quality and youth. The heavy defeat to Real Madrid on Tuesday was proof of that.

Cody Gakpo’s arrival in January showed the ownership are happy to invest in the squad despite the club being on the market/looking for investment, but the fee Dortmund want would be almost twice Liverpool’s club-record transfer, so whether they have the money or not is to be seen.

Nevertheless, Klopp has been impressed by Bellingham and is more likely to spend big on him than sign two players with the same money.

Bellingham is a huge admirer of Klopp and Liverpool, and several sources have insisted he wouldn’t necessarily be put off by the club’s recent blip.

In theory, Bellingham’s style means he would contribute well in Klopp’s system. He is a box-to-box player who helps decide games. One recurring theme in all the conversations for this article is that Bellingham is hugely intelligent and will think long-term — picking the right move is more important to him than a potential year without Champions League football. After Liverpool’s Real Madrid defeat, that scenario looks increasingly likely.

Another potential advantage for Liverpool is Klopp’s relationship with his former club. And with Liverpool’s director of football Julian Ward soon to depart, the manager’s role in trying to secure Bellingham could be particularly crucial.

Some involved in the Bellingham pursuit feel this is Liverpool’s deal to lose, but the money needed and Liverpool’s indifferent form may yet prove too big a barrier.

The one thing that is certain about Real and Florentino Perez’s interest is that it’s genuine. They appreciate Bellingham and would love to have him at the Bernabeu. Where things start to become more cloudy is when you speak to people about the chances of that happening.

Real Madrid have definitely held informal and positive talks with Bellingham’s camp, as they do with many players they are interested in. The former Birmingham City player is managed by his father Mark.

But sources close to the club insist they have almost no chance of doing the deal because of the financials; they gave out a similar message last year when they felt Erling Haaland was no longer achievable. Real insist they have a number — which is much lower than the €150million ballpark Dortmund want — that they won’t go past for this deal.

They would point to the relatively low fees they have paid for players in recent seasons compared to the richer English clubs and are expecting Bellingham to go to the Premier League.

Unlike Liverpool, a midfielder is not Real’s first priority either. They urgently need a No 9 or a wide attacker who can play on the right with Karim Benzema now 35 years old.

City are not believed to be favourites for Bellingham but the Premier League champions are certainly interested in him.

Some in the industry feel Bellingham currently prefers Liverpool to City because he would be a better fit stylistically for Klopp’s team, where midfielders are more likely to be driving forward than moving sideways.

City might have a gap in their midfield if Ilkay Gundogan leaves at the end of the season, which is possible. They, alongside Real, were also keeping an eye on Enzo Fernandez before his move to Chelsea.

Compared to other clubs, money won’t be as much of an issue for City, despite the investigation into their finances. They have shown willingness to spend large amounts when Pep Guardiola wants a player.

Not so long ago, Man United would have been viewed as outsiders for Bellingham but things are changing in the red half of Manchester. Erik ten Hag’s team are in impressive form, muscling their way into the title race and doing well in the cup competitions. And, with a takeover possible, an even rosier financial picture could be on the horizon.

If a sale happens in the coming weeks, don’t rule out United being the team to have the money to do this deal. Whether or not that is a move Bellingham wants remains to be seen.
 
My only concern with our current midfielders is their age. Casemiro and Eriksen are 31, Fred is nearly 30 and Bruno is 28. If our only midfield reinforcement in the summer is a 29 year old Sabitzer then I worry our entire midfield will need a refresh in 2-3 years.

I'd imagine Ten Hag will prioritise going for De Jong again in the summer but if we run into the same roadblock as last year then I'd love to see us go all out for Bellingham. As other posters have already highlighted: we're one of 2-3 clubs who can actually afford him. I'd actually prefer Bellingham over De Jong because of his all-action style of play. He is in the top 30 percentile for every single midfield metric. In other words: he excels at everything. Plus there's the added benefit that he could be a mainstay in our team for well over decade.

Nevertheless, Ten Hag knows what's best. His track record with transfers so far has been outstanding. I trust whatever midfielder he chooses to sign will be the correct decision.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 711
So from the Athletic article, he seems pretty keen on Liverpool and wouldn't be out off by no CL. He really admires klopp.

I dont think we'd jump ahead of Liverpool really. He's reportedly completely unphased by Liverpools form.

Moreover Ten Hag may make a daft pursuit of FdJ again, who knows.
 
VP89 said:
So from the Athletic article, he seems pretty keen on Liverpool and wouldn't be out off by no CL. He really admires klopp.

I dont think we'd jump ahead of Liverpool really. He's reportedly completely unphased by Liverpools form.

Moreover Ten Hag may make a daft pursuit of FdJ again, who knows.
Click to expand...

With our possible takeover, City, Newcastle to come and probably Chelsea (with a new manager) I'm convinced thats Top 4 sealed for a few years bar the odd one or two.
 
LordSpud said:
With our possible takeover, City, Newcastle to come and probably Chelsea (with a new manager) I'm convinced thats Top 4 sealed for a few years bar the odd one or two.
Click to expand...
Wouldn't rule out Chelsea being a circus to be fair
 
LordSpud said:
With our possible takeover, City, Newcastle to come and probably Chelsea (with a new manager) I'm convinced thats Top 4 sealed for a few years bar the odd one or two.
Click to expand...

The new 2025 Champions League format means that five English teams will qualify for the Champions league most years though.
 
Absolutely no way is he worth that. I don't see anyone paying that for him and they shouldn't either.

I don't see how anyone can see that as good value.
 
mav_9me said:
Not to mention the crazy wages he likely will be on.
Click to expand...
Precisely, absolute recipe for disaster. It's funny how it's pretty much universally agreed that Fernandez was over priced, then people use him as a yard stick for how much Bellingham should cost.
 
For 150M it's a no from me. I don't think any midfielder is worth that.
 
Agree with most people, we have seen what our 70m+ Signings have done. None of them have come off, no point spending 150m on a CM and then forcing it to work or waiting for them to come good.

We can get 3 players for that price which will improve our squad more.
 
With only 2 years left on his contract I‘d doubt anyone (except for Chelsea) will pay anywhere close to this price.
 
-Supreme- said:
With only 2 years left on his contract I‘d doubt anyone (except for Chelsea) will pay anywhere close to this price.
Click to expand...
Tchouameni was sold for 100m€, adding PL tax to that, I won't be surprised to see Bellingham go for 120/130m€.
Only oil clubs and Chelsea will be able to pay that.
 
If Liverpool spunk their entire budget on him I'll well and truly know their time is over. I don't get what Klopp thinks that just one uber expensive midfielder will fix for a team that needs about 5 new ones.

It's like the guy completely forgot how he's achieved his success in the first place. Tireless workhorses with decent technicality.
 
Fab player but not wortH 150 million. That’s generational striker money
 
croadyman said:
Yeah or De Jong and just cheap CDM,allows us to go all in for top striker too
Click to expand...
One thing is we really dominate and turnover the ball a lot and create chances but we don't ever really score more than two goals yet make so many chances. A top striker probably makes up score extra goals.
 
Valencia Shin Crosses said:
If Liverpool spunk their entire budget on him I'll well and truly know their time is over. I don't get what Klopp thinks that just one uber expensive midfielder will fix for a team that needs about 5 new ones.

It's like the guy completely forgot how he's achieved his success in the first place. Tireless workhorses with decent technicality.
Click to expand...

It would be a massive massive gamble.

Maybe they think he would transform the midfield like Van Dijk transformed their defence?
 
he'd be crazy to go to Liverpool. team is trending downwards, and who knows how long Klopp will even be there.
 
I'd love to get him and FDJ

but if it's one or the other I'd prefer FDJ, even if he is a bit of a fanny. He'll be half the price
 
Is Liverpool paying for planting stories that Bellingham won't care if they're not in Europe next year? I mean, he'd have to be the dumbest guy on earth if he thinks they're gonna pay 150m for him & put him on a 350k/week wage. I also truly can't imagine he'd agree to have Fabinho and Henderson next to him. What's up with these non-stop stories linking him to Liverpool. however crap they are?
 
bringbackbebe said:
Is Liverpool paying for planting stories that Bellingham won't care if they're not in Europe next year? I mean, he'd have to be the dumbest guy on earth if he thinks they're gonna pay 150m for him & put him on a 350k/week wage. I also truly can't imagine he'd agree to have Fabinho and Henderson next to him. What's up with these non-stop stories linking him to Liverpool. however crap they are?
Click to expand...
True. Not to mention that Dortmund have a say in this. If they could get say 140m from Madrid or even United and Liverpool are only offering 120 then what Jude wants is only part of the story.

I do think he'll end up at Liverpool though, only because Madrid and United probably don't want him enough to pay the extra so the auction won't happen.
 
Cloud7 said:
Do we need him though, is the pertinent question? The prototype for ETH's preferred CM seems to be someone like Casemiro and someone like Eriksen. Bellingham is more of an in between, all round type of player, isn't he? Can he move the ball between the lines and pull the strings like Eriksen can?

My viewing of him is limited, so I can't say I know for sure what type of player he really is, but the few times I have watched him, I can't really figure out where he would fit in for us.
Click to expand...

Yeah, this is my concern too. You make a good point raising the issue of what ETH really wants.

We have three midfield positions. It’s clear that ETH views the AMC position as the least important. For Ajax, he played Donny there. Here, he have played all of Wout, Fred and even McTominay there. For Ajax, he has either had more of a one dimensional DMC or more of a complete DMC. But it’s the MC position that he seems to value the highest.

By all accounts, I think it’s safe to assume that a play maker like Frankie De Jong is optimal MC for ETH.

Is Jude Bellingham someone that fits that mold? I don’t know. He got a good passing foot for sure. But his big strength is going box to box. He has really impressed me in two games, one against City and one against Seville. Trademark performances. But often against better opponents, he tends to get marginalized or contribute mostly with his box to box ability. At the World Cup, he showed a complete register in the group round — but it’s very easy to forget that none of Iran, USA or Senegal even remotely holds Premier League level ability. They are at a level of say a Watford.

My worry is just this, when we face the best teams in the world, really tough opponents, a MCFC of Barca trying to have 100% possession, an Arsenal, Bayern or Real side throwing everything they got against us — is Jude Bellingham the one who can get on the ball and with his passing game swing things in our favor?

Don’t get me wrong, I really like Bellingham, but I think that he is generational for Klopp. Not for Real. Definitely not for Barca or City. Not for ETH. Can he fill the most important role in the squad for us? Perhaps. This in combination with an absolutely insane price tag does worry me a lot.

Look at Camavinga and Tchumeni for Real Madrid. They are rotation players for Real and clearly still in a development phase. Bellingham isn’t going to come in and be a star over night.

Nah, I am concerned about paying 150m for him. And we also know how the media functions, if ETH wants to take it slowly with Bellingham like Real have with Camavinga and Tchumeni — all hell would break lose. Maguire isn’t even remotely in contention with Varane for a starting position, still ETH face question about why he is sitting Maguire on the bench. All the time. Almost every PC. We also know that there have been big issues with pressure and confidence on the squad
 
Gabriel Djemba-Bebe said:
My only concern with our current midfielders is their age. Casemiro and Eriksen are 31, Fred is nearly 30 and Bruno is 28. If our only midfield reinforcement in the summer is a 29 year old Sabitzer then I worry our entire midfield will need a refresh in 2-3 years.
Click to expand...
Good point.
But if Jude’s coming, who’s place will he be getting into? Casemiro is umdroppable. So it’ll be Eriksen. Will he be happy with it? I guess we can’t keep everyone happy if we really want to turn this side to title winners.
 
Galactic said:
Good point.
But if Jude’s coming, who’s place will he be getting into? Casemiro is umdroppable. So it’ll be Eriksen. Will he be happy with it? I guess we can’t keep everyone happy if we really want to turn this side to title winners.
Click to expand...

Eriksen would still get plenty of minutes as a squad rotation player. Singing a new midfielder means we could finally give Bruno a rest for some games.
 
I bet if Bayern were interested he would be sold to them for less than half the quoted fee for prem clubs.

Premier league clubs need to show some restraint with transfer dealings and stop being taken to the cleaners, will it really be the end of the world if teams snub Bellingham for 1 year and go back when he only has a year left on his contract
 
Rolaholic said:
Click to expand...

It seems that ten Hag is open to taking the midfield either way — either bringing in Frenkie to add that midfield possession dominator, or go balls in with Bellingham in a side that dominates on transitions.
 
Lee565 said:
I bet if Bayern were interested he would be sold to them for less than half the quoted fee for prem clubs.

Premier league clubs need to show some restraint with transfer dealings and stop being taken to the cleaners, will it really be the end of the world if teams snub Bellingham for 1 year and go back when he only has a year left on his contract
Click to expand...
Problem is, PL clubs will pay the money . They know there will be a bidding war as he is the golden English boy.
 
I think he will stay at Dortmund for another year tbh, I think they've priced him out of the market.

It's no secret ETH love FDJ, It's also no secret that Barca have to sell players. I think if we finish the season in good form, secure top 4 and maybe another cup then FDJ will sign this time.

Casemiro, FDJ, Bruno and Eriksen rotating (With Fred to come in) really is good. Add a top striker to that and we really are looking good again.
 
Not convinced with Judey B, I thought he already signed for the netspend champions of the world for 70k a week?
 
Last edited:
Galactic said:
Good point.
But if Jude’s coming, who’s place will he be getting into? Casemiro is umdroppable. So it’ll be Eriksen. Will he be happy with it? I guess we can’t keep everyone happy if we really want to turn this side to title winners.
Click to expand...
There's no way we go into the next season with Eriksen as our primary starter, I think one way or another he has to accept he no longer has legs and lungs to do what's required in his role week in week out and that he should be a solid and often utilised squad player.

Having said that I'm not really sure if Bellingham is exactly what we need in the midfield but I'm obviously biased there as I only see him in the CL and I watch much more Spanish/Italian football than German, so can't have a reasoned opinion on him.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.