Jobe Bellingham: 'The Stadium of Light is the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in'

New Sunderland signing Jobe Bellingham has been officially unveiled, and he is looking forward to making his mark on Wearside.

Jobe Bellingham says he can’t wait to get started at Sunderland after admitting he has been ‘thinking about the move for a long time.’

The 17-year-old brother of England and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham was officially unveiled as a new Sunderland player on Saturday following his £1.5m move from Birmingham City.

He will wear the number seven shirt for the Black Cats, which means Leon Dajaku will have to change numbers if Sunderland are not able to move him on this summer.

Jobe Bellingham comes with a big reputation in his own right having already forced his way into the Birmingham squad last season. He made 22 appearances in the Championship in 22/23 and, although most were from the bench, but there are not many, if any, 17-year-olds making similar inroads at Championship level.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and I can’t wait to get started,” Bellingham told the club’s official media channels.

New number 7 pic.twitter.com/6JHlQFOyip

— Macca (@sunderlandafc11) June 24, 2023

“I spent many years at Birmingham City and that really helped my development, but now felt like the right time to take the next step. I’m looking forward to working under the Head Coach – I want to learn and develop my game – and I feel like I’m progressing every week, so playing with good players will only help that.

Bellingham also comes with some experience of the Stadium of Light too. He played for Birmingham in their 2-1 defeat on Wearside last season, and he was also a guest for the play-offs first-leg win over Luton.

“The Stadium of Light is the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in and the fans have already made me feel welcome online, so I’m excited to get going and I’m focused on letting my football speak for itself.”

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