The Jobe Bellingham attributes Sunderland fans will love and where he can fit in after Birmingham transfer

Sunderland had been tracking teenage midfielder Jobe Bellingham for over a year - but what made him such a top transfer target on Wearside?

The 17-year-old England youth international has officially signed for the Black Cats from Birmingham City after representing The Three Lions’ under-18s side this month.

Bellingham’s profile has been enhanced by the rapid rise of his older brother Jude, who completed a big-money move to Real Madrid earlier this month.

But while comparisons will be made between the two, what can Sunderland fans expect from the younger Bellingham brother?

Firstly it should be noted that, while he made 22 Championship appearances for Birmingham during the 2022/23 season, Jobe remains a raw prospect, while it’s not quite clear what his best position will be.

Like his older brother, Bellingham appears to have the attributes to become a box-to-box midfielder, yet he was predominantly used in a No 10 position for Birmingham last term.

Below is a screenshot from Birmingham’s fixture at Blackpool in April, when Bellingham started in an advanced midfield position and often found himself alongside Blues striker Lukas Jutkiewicz out of possession.

While Birmingham lost the match 1-0, it was one of Bellingham’s brighter senior performances, with the midfielder demonstrating his ability to receive possession in the opposition’s half and make progressive runs with the ball (making five in total, according to Wyscout).

The teenager has also played on left of a midfield three in a 5-3-2 system for Birmingham, and in a 4-3-3 set-up for England’s under-18s side, allowing him to become more involved in his team’s build-up play.

While he was forced to pass the ball backwards at times, Bellingham showed good composure in Birmingham’s three-man midfield against Sheffield United on only his fourth senior start in May.

The 17-year-old completed 35 of his 38 attempted passes, often receiving the ball under pressure, and held his own against strong opposition.

Given his tender age, it’s understandable that Bellingham won just 35.6% of his physical duels for Birmingham last season, making the significant step up from playing under-23s football to competing in the Championship.

If he continues to play as a more advanced midfielder, the teenager will also want to add more goals to his game by making late runs into the box.

For Birmingham, Bellingham averaged 1.1 shots per 90 minutes, most of which were taken from the edge of the penalty area, with 44.4% on target during the 2022/23 campaign.

At Sunderland, given his age, it’s unlikely Bellingham will be starting games regularly when the season kicks off in August, while he may be handed game time for the under-21s side when necessary.

For a player at the early stages of his career, Sunderland won’t want to pigeonhole the teenager as a certain type of midfielder, while it’s clear he has the ability to play in different roles.

Like many of the Black Cats recent signings, Bellingham is a player who will increase in value and has the potential to improve significantly.

That is why they made such a big attempt to sign him after tracking his progress for the last 12 months.