footballfancast.com

Sunderland can sign their dream Bellingham replacement in "outstanding" young PL star - opinion

Sunderland are already finding their glorious promotion up to the Premier League to be a double-edged sword.

Indeed, the dust hadn't even settled on the Black Cats' Championship playoff final success before goalscoring hero Tommy Watson was heading down to the south coast to Brighton and Hove Albion, with Jobe Bellingham now the next expected departee.

MixCollage-25-May-2025-11-04-AM-2557

The 19-year-old could now follow in his esteemed brother's footsteps by joining German giants Borussia Dortmund, with the teenage sensation's last ever match for the club now bittersweet, having just experienced the unbelievable high of promotion glory at Wembley.

The latest on Bellingham's future

This is one glaring negative attached to promotion - the fear that your best players will be snatched away from you after so much success.

Bellingham is reportedly on the cusp of calling Dortmund his new home for a bumper £32.8m fee, meaning he will go down as Sunderland's heftiest ever sale when the move is officially completed.

This will, of course, be a major knock to Regis Le Bris and Co. ahead of their daunting top-flight adventure getting underway, with Bellingham's seven goals and assists combined last season standing him in good stead to take to the Premier League confidently.

Instead, the Bundesliga will soon see what the much-talked-about Black Cats' number seven is all about.

jobe bellingham

But, Sunderland can instantly address these gaping wounds by landing this ideal Bellingham replacement, with the star in question already well accustomed to the testing environment of the Premier League.

Sunderland's "outstanding" Bellingham replacement

Le Bris will need figures dotted all around his starting XI that know the difficult division to try and give his team a fighting chance at survival.

Tommy Doyle certainly ticks that box, considering he has amassed 51 top-flight appearances across his playing days to date, with the Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder now reportedly attracting the attention of the Stadium of Light side as per a report from TEAMTalk earlier this month.

But, away from boasting plenty of experience for a 23-year-old, Doyle can also pick out a fine strike - much like Bellingham - from the midfield areas, with his senior career so far seeing him collect eight goals for Wolves, Sheffield United and Cardiff City, on top of reaching double digits with 11 assists.

The "outstanding" midfielder - as he's been labelled previously by former youth coach Mark Kennedy - will hope the goals and assists keep flowing if he relocates to Wearside soon, with Doyle's overall numbers last time out in the Championship with the Blades further backing up his status as an ideal replacement for the Dortmund-bound ace.

Doyle's league numbers (22/23) vs Bellingham's (24/25)

Stat (* = per game)

Games played

Goals scored

Assists

Touches*

Accurate passes*

Key passes*

Big chances created

Stats by Sofascore

He might well have fallen down the pecking order under Vitor Pereira at Molineux in recent times - as seen in his three minimal starts last season in the league - but his wealth of top-flight experience will still be a major plus, away from his standout loan stint at Bramall Lane reinforcing his similarities to Bellingham, as seen when glancing at the table above.

There will be a lot of pressure on Doyle's shoulders to succeed, but the 23-year-old has managed to forge a memorable career for himself at the top for some time now, with that hopefully continuing at the Stadium of Light.

Tommy-Doyle

Doyle's addition could become key to Le Bris' men keeping their heads above water, with Sunderland likely to be submerged in a relegation battle all season long, whilst Bellingham plies his trade at the luxurious summit of the Bundesliga.

Enzo-Le-Fee-1 Related

[Enzo Le Fee repeat: Sunderland considering deal for "outstanding" star](https://www.footballfancast.com/enzo-le-fee-repeat-sunderland-considering-deal-for-mepham/ "Enzo Le Fee repeat: Sunderland considering deal for "outstanding" star")

Sunderland are eyeing up a move for a star who would be an Enzo Le Fee repeat.

Read full news in source page