Why Jude Bellingham ending arm-waving would be ‘more of a problem’

Bellingham tends to rise to the big occasion — his “who else” goal celebration at Euro 2024 springs to mind — and can be expected to give his absolute all whenever called upon in North America. Asked about supposed character flaws and whether it would be wrong to try to change him, former England goalkeeper James, speaking on behalf of Grosvenor Sport, said he has no problem with it as long as everyone else is okay with it.

He pointed to Jordan Pickford as a similar example: teams accept certain behaviours because they know what to expect. If Bellingham’s gestures are accepted by his teammates, James argued, there isn’t a problem; in fact, when he stops doing it the team might be more unsettled because they would wonder why he has changed.

Consistency and acceptance are key, James added.

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