Jobe Bellingham’s £25m decision gets easier as director sends clear message to Sunderland star.

Premier League bound. Sunderland is quickly becoming England’s preferred destination for young, ambitious players seeking first-team minutes that they may struggle to find elsewhere.

In 2023, Eliezer Mayenda picked Sunderland over Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille, and Lyon. That was a bad decision. Mayenda rifled in Sunderland’s equaliser during their play-off final comeback against Sheffield United on Saturday, defying the odds and even history as the Wembley hoodoo was finally broken. Director Kristjaan Speakman, a major driving force behind the club’s highly successful transfer policy, put it best when explaining the £3 million signing of Jobe Bellingham from Birmingham City.

He described it as ‘a major affirmation of what we are doing’. Proof that young, ambitious players like Bellingham saw Wearside as a place where they might realise their full potential. Now, as Eintracht Frankfurt seeks to outbid Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig for Bellingham’s services, Speakman’s counterpart at the Commerzbank Arena is expected to deploy similar rhetoric to persuade the 19-year-old not to follow in Jude’s yellow and black footsteps.

Director explains why Jobe Bellingham would benefit in leaving Sunderland for Frankfurt

In fact, as die-hard Bundesliga fans will tell you, while Borussia Dortmund is still lauded across Europe for launching Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho, and Jude Bellingham, Eintracht Frankfurt may have a better track record in recent years when it comes to turning potential into reality. Omar Marmoush joined Manchester City for £60 million in January. Aside from the missed penalty in the FA Cup final, the prolific Egyptian has basically continued where he left off in Germany. William Pacho will be among the first names on the PSG team sheet for this weekend’s Champions League final. Randal Kolo Muani will also receive a winner’s medal if Luis Enrique defeats Inter Milan.

It seems like only a matter of time, meanwhile, before Hugo Ekitike becomes one of the most expensive strikers in football history.

Eintracht Frankfurt’s sporting director, Markus Krosche, explains on the official Eagles website that the club offers a’very good platform for young players’, including the opportunity to play in the Champions League, which is a bigger platform than Sunderland’s. “We reached the Champions League. Third place in the Bundesliga is an outstanding achievement and a historic end to a season,” Krosche said.

“But for us, that is no longer so crucial because we have offered a very good platform for young players in recent years. Our passion, power, energy as a club and the location in general [one of the biggest cities in Germany] these are all very good characteristics.”

Bellingham visited Frankfurt’s stadium after play-off final win

Frankfurt not only guarantees game time, but they also provide their most promising players with the opportunity to advance when the opportunity arises. As Krosche previously stated when addressing Ekitike’s future, Frankfurt will not stand in his way if reasonable offers from Europe’s top teams materialise. “Young players see that they can develop with us, get playing time and play internationally,” says the head coach. “They understand that we have the confidence to allow young players play. The Champions League no longer determines whether players support or oppose us. “But of course it is very good to be able to offer it.”

Krosche held ‘extensive’ negotiations with the £25 million-rated Jobe Bellingham during a tour of the Frankfurt facilities on Monday, according to Hessenchau. Many of the comments used by the director during those conversations appear to be lifted from his end-of-season speech. EFL Analysis understands that Borussia Dortmund continues to believe they are in pole position. Manchester United and Crystal Palace are also interested, although a move to Germany appears to be the most likely possibility at this point.

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