Jude Bellingham prompts salty ‘arrogance’ talk and ‘amateur’ accusations from Liverpool

Jude Bellingham has attracted the attentions of the right-wing GB News while Liverpool and Manchester both want a piece…

Bellingham clattered from the right wing
Among the many, many words being written about Jude Bellingham this week, around 1700 have come from Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail, who has written an in-depth, incredibly well-researched piece about his career so far, beginning with a fascinating scouting report written four years ago when Bellingham was just 16.

Roughly 1400 words into this 1700-word opus – in which Bellingham is described as ‘grounded, mature and intelligent’ – Mokbel brings us this detail:

His demanding nature is known to have upset some of his former team-mates at Dortmund, who had complained of Bellingham being too forthright in his opinions for someone so young.

Mail Sport understands Southgate was made aware of those concerns emanating from Germany prior to the World Cup and is understood to have delicately approached the issue with Bellingham.

‘I don’t think it was ever in a nasty way, it’s just an incredible confidence to have,’ said a source.

So what do you do if you write for the digital arm of extreme right-wing broadcaster GB News?

Jude Bellingham ‘was approached by England boss Gareth Southgate over arrogance concerns’ as details emerge

We’re just surprised they didn’t describe him as ‘uppity’.

Hey Jude, can we have some clicks?
With Jude Bellingham the subject de jour, the battle for clicks is real. And the battle for clicks is nowhere more real but in the so-called regional websites that are really anything but.

Bellingham is a Birmingham boy who plays in Madrid and yet, the Manchester Evening News want a piece of the action:

Phil Foden partnership with Jude Bellingham gives Man City exciting glimpse of the future

Is Bellingham going to join Man City? Is he f***. And the MEN absolutely know that. But they want those clicks that suggest that he might.

So City may not get to benefit from the tantalising Foden-Bellingham link-up themselves, but the fact that Foden continues to shine in central areas, alongside world-class players, can only be a positive.

Foden’s relationship with Alvarez, as well as Erling Haaland, continues to grow, and when Kevin De Bruyne returns the prospect of Foden coming inside to play off the Belgian is a truly exciting one. There are similarities to the way Bellingham and De Bruyne burst forward with the ball, which is different to Alvarez’s ability to play in the small spaces behind a striker.

When De Bruyne returns, Foden has shown how City could use his developing ability in the centre to their advantage – as well as giving De Bruyne another advanced player to feed off.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how Foden’s ‘partnership with Jude Bellingham gives Man City exciting glimpse of the future’ (without Jude Bellingham).

Which obviously was not evident when Foden was scoring 15 goals and claiming eight assists while winning a Treble with Manchester City.

The Liverpool Echo are not to be left out of this click-fest…

Jude Bellingham new comments hammer home truth for Liverpool after Real Madrid transfer

And that piece on Liverpool’s long-term target is remarkable largely for the saltiness of this paragraph:

Now unleashed as a number 10 for both club and country, Bellingham’s goal contributions demonstrate his new role accordingly. It is akin to just putting your best player upfront at amateur level…

Miaow.

Meanwhile, up in the north east…

Sunderland must do all they can to shield Jobe from unfair Jude Bellingham comparisons

This will definitely help.

Charge sheet
Away from Jude Bellingham now and onto matters Manchester United with the Mirror‘s live blog:

Man Utd takeover LIVE: Ten Hag’s transfer plan, Ratcliffe deal delay, Sancho sale latest

Oooh, ‘Ten Hag’s transfer plan’ is interesting. And ‘Ten Hag ‘to stay in charge of transfers” is listed as a ‘key event’.

It’s remarkable that we have missed this news ourselves but we very much want to catch up…

Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov is adamant Erik ten Hag will remain in charge of transfer business should Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s proposal to buy a 25 percent minority stake in the club be approved.

Hmmm. We don’t think it’s his decision.

Sheikh, rattle and roll
But lower than that low is this from the Express:

Man Utd takeover LIVE: Sheikh Jassim hijack hope as Mason Greenwood asking price ‘set’

You might cynically think that they were simply trying to keep the words ‘Sheikh Jassim’ and ‘Man Utd’ in the same headline, but perhaps there really is some ‘hope’ there.

Let’s see this LIVE update…

There will not be a surprise late twist in the Manchester United takeover saga orchestrated by Sheikh Jassim, according to reports.

The Mail report that the Qatari royal won’t backtrack on his decision to withdraw his £5billion bid.

There is ‘zero chance’ Sheikh Jassim will return to the table, leaving the pathway clear for Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

‘Zero chance’. And that is absolutely the same as ‘hijack hope’, right? It’s definitely not just a shithouse trick.