A striking report suggests that Borussia Dortmund players are content with the departure of Jude Bellingham.
Bellingham bid farewell to Dortmund as he fulfilled an astounding £88.5 million transfer to Real Madrid, a move that saw him sign a six-year contract and become the latest British player to join Los Blancos.
At just 20 years old, Bellingham has seamlessly adapted to his new role at Real Madrid, making a noteworthy debut by scoring a goal and delivering an impressive performance against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
Bellingham was a huge hit at Dortmund and developed into the most sought-after midfielder in Europe, but it seems as though his teammates weren’t as fond of him as one would have thought.
A damning report from German outletBILDstates that a key problem is that some feel as though Bellingham enjoys being the centre of attention.
🚨 Part of the Borussia Dortmund squad were happy with the sale of Jude Bellingham. 😳
The English midfielder’s ‘arrogant’ attitude and his constant desire to be the centre of attention irritated many in the group.
(Source: @BILD) pic.twitter.com/jroI3huUa1
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) August 16, 2023
The former Birmingham City man spent three years at Dortmund and it’s said that in the 2021/22 campaign, his peers believed he deemed himself be in the shadow of goal machine Erling Haaland and that impacted his behaviour.
It’s claimed Bellingham proceeded to applaud the fans by himself after games in a bid to get more recognition.
Furthermore, it’s reported that the manner in which the England international communicated with his teammates has stirred dissatisfaction among many, and the higher-ups within the club have taken notice of this.
Bellingham had been a part of the team council and even captained the side on several occasions last season. His leadership and mindset have consistently been regarded as some of his most admirable qualities.
However, it’s always stated that he took “little leadership” and his moods were a regular occurrence.
Two seasons ago, he gave teammate Nicolas Schulz an earful in a Europa League defeat to Rangers, appearing to shout, “You can’t get one f*cking pass off, you’re f*cking shit. Every f*cking time.”
While the outburst shows the standards that Bellingham has, it was apparently not an isolated incident and some didn’t take to kindly to the insults in the dressing room or even in training.
Dortmund have drafted in Marcel Sabitzer from Bayern Munich and the former Manchester United loanee has been a positive influence on the team spirit.
Emre Can and Sebastien Haller now have more senior roles within the dressing room at Signal Iduna Park.