"Finally, my brother Jobe, a thoroughbred striker like our father. If Sunderland were to be promoted to the Premier League, watch out for him!"
They were the words of Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham when he was asked to name three players who could win the Golden Boy award for 2024. The England international name dropped his brother, alongside Los Blancos star Arda Guler and former Borussia Dortmund teammate Jamie Bynoe-Gittens after claiming the 2023 award for himself.
Jude's praise for his younger brother should come as no surprise given the tight bond between the two, but referring to the Sunderland midfielder as a striker raised some eyebrows, but there's reason behind it.
The 18-year-old has mainly been deployed in a deeper midfield role, with 37 per cent of his minutes this season coming as part of a midfield anchor across three different roles, with the number ten spot his main role under former Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray. It's clear Jobe's physical frame and ability to find space in the box lend himself to a naturally more advanced role, making him a major threat in the final third. However, when Jobe has lead the line this season, Sunderland have looked their most threatening.
Of Michael Beale's newfound priorities, interim boss Mike Dodds may have already handed the new head coach the answer to their striker conundrum, along with the tip off from older brother Jude. In his post-match press conference, Dodds revealed that Jobe had spent the majority of his time in the Birmingham City academy playing as a forward, which played into tactical thinking heading into the games against West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United.
Jobe has scored four goals in 21 games in all competitions with an average of 75.2 minutes-per-match. He's played the most out of any of Sunderland's summer signings, but he's played centrally in just three of those games, just 243 minutes so far this season. Mason Burstow, Eliezer Mayenda, Luis Hemir Semedo and Nazariy Rusyn have played just 1,242 minutes between them and are yet to yield a goal. Of course, as with any new signing, it'll take time for players to settle in and get used to their new surroundings and way of working, let alone overcoming the language barrier which has held the likes of Rusyn back. That being said, the Ukrainian has looked decent when he has played, but the competitive nature of the Championship and the pressure for results, means new boss Beale won't be given the luxury of time to figure out who should lead the line. Scoring goals is the only way to alleviate any pressure on Sunderland's forward line and it's Jobe who has stepped up to the plate in recent weeks.
"We've seen a boy in the last two games who's 18 years old play two different positions against two of the best teams in the league and he's done remarkable," Dodds said in his post-match press conference following Sunderland's win over Leeds United. "That in itself just highlights what a fantastic talent he is regardless of the name on the back of his shirt. I've worked with a lot of young players and my background and CV would suggest working with young players is something I'm quite strong at and he is up there with the very best I've worked with.
"He's a second-year scholar, he's just turned 18 years old, the fact I can play him as a No.9 and lead the line against a very good West Brom team and he should have scored. Then I can play him deeper and he can execute a game-plan to the level and quality he has against Leeds and then in-game change him again to a different position and he goes and scores, I think the proof is in the pudding and the facts speak for themselves. For an 18-year-old to do that is remarkable."
Jobe was cruelly denied the perfect response to Jude's lofty praise - his goal against West Brom wrongly ruled out for offside. However, it was a tweak in Dodds' tactical approach, utilising Jobe as an out-and-out number nine, to trigger a high press and put West Brom's centre-half pairing under pressure, which caused the opposition problems.
Bellingham's opener ruled out for offside ❌
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) December 9, 2023
Lucky escape for West Brom as replays show he was onside. pic.twitter.com/wcjhYK1E3T
In the build-up to the goal, Jobe shows his aggressiveness in the press, forcing Baggies' shot stopper Alex Palmer into a mistake. The goalkeeper is forced into hurrying his clearance, trying to pick out Conor Townsend on the left flank, but Jobe's quick thinking gets a block in and the Black Cats are able to win possession in a dangerous area.
After his initial good press, it's his spacial awareness that gets him his goal, peeling off the back of the defender and into a goal scoring position.
There can be no denying Palmer should have done better with the initial shot from Adil Aouchiche, but Bellingham showcased his natural strikers instinct. The goal may have been wrongly disallowed, but it was a poachers finish.
We see a similar knack for finding space in a congested penalty box with his goal against Leeds United. This time Jobe spots the space ahead of him and runs from deep into the Whites' 18-yard box. There's some good fortune from Alex Pritchard's flick on, but there's nothing fortunate about Jobe's positioning. The run of Jack Clarke out wide leaves Archie Gray with a decision to make and opts to pick up the run of the Black Cats winger.
Jobe bursts forward from deep, with his run going unchecked by Leeds United. Wilfried Gnonto loses Clarke in the build-up, forcing Gray out wide, leaving space for Jobe in between Joe Rodon and the young left-back.
Neil's cross is poor and headed away by Pascal Struijk, but only as far as Pritchard on the edge of the area. His clever move inside freed up space for Clarke and Bellingham on the overlap, anticipating a loose ball on the edge of the area, he was in the right place to flick a header goal bound.
It's unclear whether we'll see Jobe keep his place in the team as a central striker or whether he'll revert back to a deeper midfield role, but his performances up front certainly warrant a run in that position.
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