"Irreplaceable" - West Brom urged against Tom Fellows transfer scenario in January | OneFootball

FLW's West Brom fan pundit has outlined the importance of Tom Fellows in both the long and short-term.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

West Bromwich Albion had to fend off late interest in the transfer window for Tom Fellows, with the 21-year-old already proving he is among the Championship's best wide players.

The likes of Southampton and Ipswich Town were both said to want the wide man during the summer, while a report from Football Insider also claimed that Everton were interested in the star. The Baggies held firm in their ‘not for sale’ stance until the end of August, but they will know full well that there will be plenty more interest in the coming windows.

The 2023/24 campaign was something of a breakthrough one for Fellows, as he became a regular and important part of the Baggies' senior side for the first time. The club then reportedly placed a £15 million price tag on the forward’s head.

As a result, they were able to keep Fellows for the season ahead, with Southampton said to have made a bid in the region of £10 million, whichWest Brom rightfully dismissed. Last season, he made seven goal contributions from his 33 appearances in the league, albeit only 14 of those were starts.

Fellows has since become a vital component of Carloe Corberan's side, though, with his pinpoint crossing ability also getting the best out of Josh Maja as well. His impact on the side is perhaps second to none, and the reality is that West Brom would struggle to bring in an equivalent replacement.

The West Brom verdict on Tom Fellows' future

The Baggies have a number of assets and important players for Corberan to call upon, but Fellows' impact this season cannot be understated. He has formed devastating chemistry with Baggies marksman Maja. This version of Fellows has perhaps not been seen as consistently as this previously, with his development having gone up another gear in 2024/25.

That combination has already been proven to be fruitful as it is, and that is without mentioning the supporting cast around them. We asked our West Brom fan pundit Callum Burgess for his thoughts on who is the most irreplaceable player in the side currently as the January window looms and namechecked Fellows.

He said: "Albion now find themselves in a satisfactory position.

"That's where the players you could deem to be irreplaceable, including the likes of Alex Mowatt who has started the season excellently and has been tied down to a new contract this summer. Darnell Furlong is probably one of the most consistent players over the Carlos Corberan's reign and he signed a new contract recently.

"Then, of course, when you look at exciting young talent, you have Tom Fellows tied down to a long contract. That's until 2027, I believe. I think that puts the club in a good position should interest come in.

"Of course, over the summer, there was interest in Tom Fellows. Albion were able to rebuff that with his contract length in mind.

"Where, if it was a case of a similar position to Brandon Thomas-Asante, Okay Yokuslu, and Conor Townsend, then it could have been an unforgivable scenario.

"Albion could have been about to lose one of their best young talents for a reasonably cheap fee.

"I think what Tom Fellows means to the team is that he is our most creative player. In recent weeks, you could say our chance creation hasn't been as good.

"But when you have got the likes of Fellows who can make something out of nothing, like the example of that goal against Sheffield Wednesday, then that shows what he is all about by being able to beat a defender and get a great cross into the box for Maja.

"He's just got that little spark out of nothing and if you were to take Fellows out of the team - for example, like with Jed Wallace against Middlesbrough and when he came on - you could really see the drop off in quality.

"It's a testament to how far Fellows has come and he's the main player I would deem to be irreplaceable in this squad."

The Baggies would no doubt collect a handsome sum for Fellows, which would be officially recorded as full profit owing to his status as an academy graduate.

Despite their well-known financial issues of late, they were not going to be tempted to sell one of their key attacking threats for less than they thought they should be getting in the summer, with the young star already proving that he will play a key role this season.

His ability to beat a man all ends up before putting the ball on a plate for his teammates in the middle has already proved a valuable source of goals for the Baggies this season. He makes the sublime look so simple so often down the right flank.

Fellows is a fairly two-footed player, but more of a traditional winger as he operates on the right-hand side and finds a way to go down the outside before clipping or whipping balls into the box for his teammates, which has been fruitful so far this term.

Traditional wingers are rarely seen nowadays due to the prevalence of 'inverted wingers', but he is West Brom's crowning jewel for that reason and fits the team like a glove. With another full season of EFL football under his belt, there is no predicting how high Fellows’ ceiling currently is.

Their only issue will be keeping hold of their talented wide man for the foreseeable future, with Premier League interest sure to return before too long, although they know they will be in for a big payday should they have to let him go.