West Brom are in somewhat of a battle to finish inside the Championship play-off spots come the end of the 2024-25 season, and when the March international break is over, they will need their strong attacking unit to deliver the goods to help secure their goals.
Returning manager Tony Mowbray was able to add Adam Armstrong and Will Lankshear to his already stacked Baggies options in the mid-season transfer window, which includes players such as Josh Maja, Mikey Johnston and Karlan Grant.
The jewel in the crown though is no doubt Tom Fellows, who has a string of admirers from a level above after his scintilating last 18 months for the Baggies.
The 21-year-old attacker, who has been with Albion since under-10’s level, made his debut for the club in December 2021, but it was only in the 2023-24 season where he made his real breakthrough under Carlos Corberan, having spent the previous season in League Two with Crawley Town.
| Tom Fellows Championship Stats Comparison – 2023-24 v 2024-25 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 2024-25 | |
| Appearances | 33 | 37 |
| Average Minutes Per Match | 45 | 63 |
| Goals | 4 | 2 |
| xG (Expected Goals) | 2.63 | 3.20 |
| Assists | 3 | 11 |
| xA (Expected Assists) | 4.08 | 5.19 |
| Shots Per Game | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| Key Passes Per Game | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| Big Chances Created | 8 | 10 |
| Successful Dribbles Per Game | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| Duels Won Per Game | 2.2 | 2.8 |
With 11 assists to his name in the Championship this season, which is the joint-most alongside Middlesbrough playmaker and ex-West Brom prospect Finn Azaz, there is a reason why many are looking at the young wide player ahead of the summer transfer window.
Tom Fellows name-dropped as West Brom’s biggest asset
Journalist Alan Nixon recently reported that Everton are keeping tabs on Fellows after pursuing him in January’s window, whilst Brighton are also keen on the winger ahead of the summer, as per a report from TEAMtalk in February.
And when asked who Albion’s biggest asset is heading into the upcoming summer transfer window, FLW’s Baggies fan pundit Callum Burgess didn’t need to take long to name-drop Fellows as his choice, with Newcastle United perhaps surprisingly touted as a potential destination.
“Albion’s biggest asset is by far and away Tom Fellows,” Callum told FLW.
“He’s a young player who most recently into the England under-21 squad but didn’t make the cut this time due to the amount of talent in the team – when you’ve got Ethan Nwaneri and various other talents ahead of him, there is probably a reason why he’s not in there, but it did show how well he had been doing beforehand that he’s been able to break into that squad.
“You’re definitely looking for at least £15 million for him, preferably about £20 million if it was up to me. 11 assists so far this season and although he’s not been contributing much with goals and assists recently, there’s still definitely a threat when Fellows is on the pitch.
“He’s always going to drag out a full-back and there’s always going to be concern in their minds that he’s going to get past them and deliver a dangerous ball into the box.
“With him being so young, a lot of Premier League teams will have ear-marked him as a target for this summer, whether it’s Everton, who have been linked with him quite a lot recently, the promoted teams last season were linked with him, but I definitely think he’ll definitely go to a team with aspirations more than fighting relegation.
“Personally, I think with the right-wing spot at Newcastle up for grabs, I think that might be a potential place for him to go to.
“Either way, I think Albion will be getting a decent sum of money for him in the future.”
West Brom face a fight to keep Tom Fellows if Premier League return isn’t secured
Such is the class of the current top three in the Championship, you’d be hard-pressed to go against the team who doesn’t finish in the automatic promotion places and has to enter the play-offs instead.
Should West Brom finish inside the top six, they face an uphill, but not impossible task, in order to return to the Premier League, and you get the feeling that they need promotion in order to keep Fellows at The Hawthorns.
Going into the summer, Fellows will still have two years remaining on his deal at West Brom, but having reported a £33.9 million loss for last season, it may be a case of the Baggies hierarchy needing to sell a big asset in order to re-invest if they want to be sustainable.
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The likes of Everton who have been linked could probably offer Fellows regular Premier League game-time, as well as pay the £15 million to £20 million that is likely going to be the price-tag for a transfer to come off, but the touting of Newcastle as a potential destination, especially with European football on offer next season, could also appeal.
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