Birmingham sold Bellingham for € 23M and after five months it closes its academy

One of the greatest talents to come out of the Birmingham City quarry was sold this summer to a Bundesliga club. Jude Bellingham was transferred to Borussia Dortmund in exchange for 23 million euros. The young English midfielder has already been a full international with Gareth Southgate's team. A diamond in the rough emerged from the city of Birmingham. It has not been the only one. Deramai Gray, from Leicester; Jack butland, Crystal Palace or Nathan Redmond, Southampton are other examples of good footballers who took their first steps at Birmingham City.

Now, Five months after shaping one of England's most promising talents, Birmingham have announced that they are closing their football academy. The second city with the most inhabitants of the British country, behind London, sees how one of its teams, the other is Aston Villa, He is forced to close his training center for young soccer players due to the economic unfeasibility of keeping the first team.

“We are proud of the path the club has created for young players, but it is essential that Let's explore different working models that better meet the current demands of our first team setup“reported the entity. The reasons for the club to take a new turn and” remodel “the academy are clear: The new post-Brexit rules and the economic consequences that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought have wreaked havoc on its economy. Instead you will create a team B and another C.

The first team, trained by the Spanish Aitor Karanka, is ranked 16th in the Championship (English second division) and at the moment it is difficult to aspire to ascend to the Premier League.