Overview
- Bild reports CEO Lars Ricken, sporting director Sebastian Kehl and coach Niko Kovac have decided against recruiting a central midfielder in January and will trust Bellingham to grow into the role.
- The stance follows Pascal Gross’s confirmed return to Brighton, with no replacement planned for the center of the park.
- Since September, Bellingham has started three of 12 Bundesliga matches and is serving a two-match ban for a December red card against Freiburg, an incident goalkeeper Gregor Kobel said stemmed from his own error.
- Earlier in the season, father and advisor Mark Bellingham was reported to have confronted club officials after a halftime substitution, prompting Kehl’s reminder that restricted areas are for players, coaches and officials.
- Loan links in UK reports, including to Manchester United, persist, while talkSPORT’s Andy Brassell urges Bellingham to stay at Dortmund and follow a patient pathway likened to Phil Foden’s.