{"id":966319,"date":"2026-05-17T09:17:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T09:17:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/966319\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T09:17:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T09:17:20","slug":"birmingham-city-starlet-who-almost-eclipsed-jude-bellingham-not-ready-for-ligue-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/966319\/","title":{"rendered":"Birmingham City starlet who almost eclipsed Jude Bellingham &#8216;not ready for Ligue 1&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Trevan Sanusi hasn&#8217;t kicked on as expected since leaving Birmingham City in 2023<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Trevan Sanusi in action for Newcastle United during a pre-season friendly\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_JS341986749.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Trevan Sanusi in action for Newcastle United during a pre-season friendly\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Trevan Sanusi in action for Newcastle United during a pre-season friendly<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The name Jude Bellingham will forever be synonymous with <a aria-label=\"Birmingham CityLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/all-about\/birmingham-city-fc\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Birmingham City<\/a> \u2013 Trevan Sanusi less so.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><a aria-label=\"BellinghamLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/all-about\/jude-bellingham\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Bellingham<\/a> broke Trevor Francis\u2019s record to become Blues\u2019 youngest ever player when he made his debut aged 16 years and 38 days against Portsmouth in 2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">He went on to become a fixture in Blues\u2019 starting XI that season before moving to Borussia Dortmund and becoming a superstar with Real Madrid and England.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK!<\/strong> <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/birminghamcitynews#\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">All the latest Blues news on Birmingham Live\u2019s Birmingham City FC Facebook page<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">But, back in 2023, Sanusi came close to taking Bellingham\u2019s record.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The talented left-winger spent a large part of the 2022\/23 season on the fringes of the first team and was handed a place in the squad on the final day against Sheffield United.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It\u2019s a day remembered for Tom Wagner and Knighthead\u2019s first official visit to St Andrew\u2019s after a deal was struck for the Americans to take control of the club.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">But Sanusi would have had his day in the sun had <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/all-about\/john-eustace\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">John Eustace<\/a> introduced him as a substitute. Eustace plumped for others and Sanusi, who has just celebrated his 16th birthday, was one of two unused substitutes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Speculation was rife over whether Sanusi would commit to a scholarship with Blues and, despite their best attempts to woo the teenager, he joined Premier League side Newcastle United in the summer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sanusi committed to a scholarship with Newcastle before penning his first professional contract in 2024, signing an extension in 2025 shortly after his one and only first team appearance for the Magpies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A 20-minute cameo off the bench in an <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/all-about\/fa-cup\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">FA Cup<\/a> third round victory over League Two Bromley remains the only first team outing of Sanusi\u2019s career on Tyneside.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A loan to Ligue 1 side Lorient was supposed to be the springboard Sanusi\u2019s career required, but it\u2019s been anything but.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sanusi arrived in France with an ankle injury last summer and has never really recovered. He\u2019s only made the bench five times in Ligue 1 and played two games against lower league opposition in the French Cup.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Lorient head coach Olivier Pantaloni has rather brutally claimed Sanusi, now 19, isn\u2019t ready to play in Ligue 1.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cHe&#8217;s a kid who must have suffered from the situation,\u201d <a aria-label=\"Pantaloni said.Link opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chroniclelive.co.uk\/sport\/football\/football-news\/newcastle-united-loan-deal-comes-33895937\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Pantaloni said.<\/a> \u201cHe&#8217;s always persevered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cIf Newcastle took a chance on him, it&#8217;s because they saw potential in him for the future. When you come from there, you want to play as much as possible.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cWe didn&#8217;t give him the opportunity because we felt he wasn&#8217;t quite ready for Ligue 1.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sanusi is expected to target another loan move next season and he won\u2019t be short of suitors based on potential.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">But you have to wonder how many first team appearances he would have racked up by now had he stayed at Blues three years ago.<\/p>\n<p>Get the latest Blues headlines sent straight to your phone<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">BirminghamLive has its very own <a aria-label=\"Birmingham CityLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/all-about\/birmingham-city-fc\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Birmingham City<\/a> WhatsApp community to deliver the latest headlines straight to your phone. 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