Exclusive: Sky Sports pundit sends West Brom warning after "worrying" Tom Fellows exit | OneFootball

Time is of the essence for the Baggies to replace a key man

West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a major blow in the final days of the transfer window, as academy graduate Tom Fellows has completed a move to Southampton.

The 22-year-old winger, who had become a creative lynchpin at The Hawthorns, was confirmed as a Saints signing on Friday in a deal worth an initial £8 million, rising to £10 million with add-ons.

Fellows made 96 senior appearances and scored nine goals for the Baggies, steadily developing into a player of real influence in the Championship.

His 14 assists in the 2024/25 season saw him finish joint-top of the league’s creative charts, a return that underpinned Albion’s attacking play.

With Ryan Mason’s side making a promising start to the new campaign, the England Under-21 international’s departure leaves a significant hole to fill.

The move comes at a busy time for Southampton, who have already made seven signings this summer while also cashing in on Mateus Fernandes and Tyler Dibling for a combined £80m.

Fellows was one of three players unveiled on Friday, alongside Middlesbrough’s Finn Azaz and Nurnburg’s Caspar Jander, as Still looks to reshape his squad for a promotion push.

West Brom left facing major challenge after Tom Fellows transfer to Southampton

Back in the Midlands, the situation feels much more uncertain.

Football League World spoke exclusively with Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie on the void Fellows leaves at The Hawthorns - and if it is imperative the winger is replaced in what is left of the transfer window.

“Yeah this is a worrying thing for West Brom,” Hendrie told FLW.

“They need to be - obviously players that are leaving the football club - they need to be bringing in players on a similar sort of level to Tom Fellows if he does leave.

“You know that’s another one that’s gone - and you feel that West Bromwich Albion should be, certainly the size of the club, should be in the thick of things.

“So yeah, replacements are going to be key for West Bromwich Albion if they keep losing players.”

West Brom had, up until this point, enjoyed a near perfect transfer window. Defensive reinforcements in Nat Phillips, Chris Mepham and Krystian Bielik provided solidity, while Norwegian forward Aune Heggebo looked like a shrewd addition to the attack.

But the assumption was always that Fellows would remain central to Mason’s plans. His sudden exit has disrupted that balance, leaving the Baggies scrambling for reinforcements in the most crucial area of the pitch.

Fellows’ move highlights the ongoing challenge for ambitious Championship clubs: balancing the need to build promotion-ready squads with the financial pull of top flight bounceback hopefuls like Southampton.

For the Saints, the deal looks like smart business. They have landed one of the division’s most dangerous creators at a relatively modest fee, while also softening the blow of losing two of their own academy graduates earlier in the window.

For West Brom, however, it's a deal that stings. Losing a homegrown talent on the cusp of his prime not only weakens their on-pitch threat, but also undermines some of the optimism that had been building under Mason.

The manager now faces a race against time to plug a creative gap that, statistically, Fellows dominated last season.

Whether Albion can adequately replace him before the window shuts will go a long way in determining if their promising start can be sustained.

Should they fail to do so, this transfer may be remembered as a turning point in their campaign - one that could prove as costly as it was, perhaps, unavoidable.