Jobe Bellingham reacts to Brighton’s Tommy Watson message amid Sunderland exit talk
Jobe Bellingham has responded to Brighton’s Tommy Watson message amid the news he could follow the winger out the Sunderland exit door.
Watson, who had already agreed to join Brighton, left the North East club as a hero by scoring the winning goal in last month’s Championship playoff final victory over Sheffield United.
The 19-year-old scored in the 95th minute on 24 May to ensure that Sunderland beat the Blades 2-1 at Wembley and reached the Premier League for the first time since 2017.
After rising through the Black Cats’ youth academy ranks, Watson made a total of 24 senior appearances, notching three goals.
Bellingham reacts as Brighton make Watson declaration
Football Insider have exclusively reported that Bellingham has verbally agreed to join Borussia Dortmund, and could emulate Watson in making a Sunderland exit.
Meanwhile, on 1 June, Brighton’s official Instagram account shared a photo of Watson signing his contract captioned: “From Sunderland to the south coast.”
Bellingham gave the post a like, while Brighton’s new signing will hope to perform in the Premier League next term.
Jordan Henderson tipped to make big impact after Sunderland return
While Watson has already left Sunderland, and could be joined in that by Bellingham, Regis Le Bris must strengthen his squad ahead of competing in next season’s Premier League.
| Tommy Watson stats | Championship 2024/25 |
| Appearances | 20 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 0 |
The Black Cats will desperately want to avoid the fate of immediate relegation suffered by Leicester City, Ipswich Town, and Southampton this season.
But to do that, Sunderland must acquire tried and tested Premier League quality, while Henderson has been linked with a return to the North East.
Speaking on the latest episode of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, former Tottenham and Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson tipped Henderson to have a huge impact for the Mackems if he returns to the Stadium of Light.
The England international played for the Black Cats from 2008-2011, before joining Liverpool, where he went on to win one Premier League title, the Champions League, two Carabao Cups, and the FA Cup.
Meanwhile, Mackem News have exclusively revealed that Henderson would favour signing for Sunderland over joining Rangers.