Jude Bellingham has made a fast start to life in Spain (Picture: Getty Images)
Amidst the hundreds of millions being thrown around in the transfer market in this crazy Premier League summer, it’s the big deal that didn’t happen which could cause the most regret.
When Jurgen Klopp explained Liverpool’s decision to call off their hot and well-publicised pursuit of Jude Bellingham in the spring there was a certain logic at play.
The club’s needs were bigger than one player so blowing the whole budget on Bellingham was not prudent. Instead, the wealth was spread around – a very amenable £35million to Brighton for Alexis Mac Allister, around £60m to RB Leipzig for Dominik Szoboszlai – as boss Klopp restocked the Anfield wardrobe with sensible purchases.
And then, four months later, Liverpool suddenly found the funds and wherewithal to agree a £110m fee with Brighton for Moises Caicedo, a sum a good £20m in excess of what it initially took to buy Bellingham.
What changed? Well, the Saudi Pro League came bearing gifts in the form of decent fees for 30-somethings Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, simultaneously refilling Liverpool’s coffers and also increasing their need for midfield reinforcement.
Either way, Klopp and Co must have wished the chips had lined up in a different order back in April, when they walked away from the Bellingham deal.
In truth, Liverpool’s stance – and the lack of any concerted push to sign the Borussia Dortmund star from any of their Premier League rivals – suggested Klopp’s comments were as much a face-saving exercise in the face of the England international’s decision to choose Real Madrid than they were a serious explanation of the club’s thought process.
Jurgen Klopp has struggled to buy midfield reinforcements (Picture: Getty Images)
Well, the Premier League’s loss has proved to be LaLiga’s gain, with Bellingham not so much joining Real Madrid as taking them over. With captain Karim Benzema joining the Saudi gravy train you might expect someone like Vinicius Jr would emerge as the new, young face of Madrid but one glance at the club’s socials, media channels, fanbase and – crucially, results and statistics on the pitch – show this is already Bellingham’s team.
Playing at the tip of a midfield diamond, the 20-year-old has three goals and one assist in two games and already cajoles and directs his team-mates like a 300-game veteran.
On the field and in training, Bellingham’s arms outstretched, ‘are you not entertained and impressed’ goal celebration, has become so iconic Vinicius and friends have started adopting it when they score.
Off the grass, Bellingham’s willingness to engage with media and fans and attempts to communicate in Spanish have endeared him to supporters of more than just his club in the country.
All this has been done with five-time Champions League winner Luka Modric and four-time winner Toni Kroos making just one start between them. It’s early days and Carlo Ancelotti opting to give the veterans some rest is prudent but you already suspect Real’s season goes as Bellingham goes, rather than resting on two of the greatest midfielders in club history.
Having begun the campaign with wins at Athletic Bilbao and Almeria, tonight Madrid visit Rafa Benitez’s Celta Vigo, before the Bellingham bandwagon finally arrives at the Bernabeu for the new star’s first appearance on home soil on September 2.
Harry Kane made a goalscoring start in the Bundesliga (Picture: Getty Images)
Bellingham isn’t the only Englishman winning hearts, minds and football games overseas. On Sunday afternoon, Harry Kane will play his first Bundesliga game for Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena, against Augsburg.
Like his Three Lions team-mate, Kane marked his full debut for his new club with a goal – in the 4-0 thumping of Werder Bremen.
Kane’s departure from Tottenham was accompanied by a strange contradiction of appreciation that he needed to move on in a bid to win trophies, and criticism for choosing a club where achieving that goal might be relatively straightforward.
Like Bellingham, Kane has also won praise for his actions off the field in his new home but at clubs like Madrid and Munich the success of any transfer will ultimately come down to goals scored, games won and trophies accrued.
With the Premier League awash with foreign superstars and right to regard itself as the most popular in the world, it’s strange to see two of England’s biggest names playing abroad.
But Kane and Bellingham, the current and likely future captains of England, look well-placed to live up to the hype.
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Bellingham hasn’t so much joined Real Madrid as taken them over.