West Brom must brace as new Southampton transfer update emerges | OneFootball

The Baggies could be striped of their prized asset in Tom Fellows as Southampton prepare to make a summer swoop.

West Brom will be finalising preparations ahead of their 2025-26 Championship season opener against Blackburn Rovers.

Albion rounded off their pre-season tests with a 3-2 victory over Spanish outfit Rayo Vallecano at The Hawthorns, with Ryan Mason overseeing one victory, one draw and two defeats in that period.

During the summer transfer window, the Black Country outfit haven’t been as busy as perhaps originally expected, with the club bringing just three new faces into the building as they continue to battle P&S issues.

For Albion to be competitive in the summer market, it was believed that the club would have to part ways with their most sellable assets, with Tom Fellows earmarked as the player to move on so the Baggies could be more free spending.

It hasn’t turned out that way though, with Fellows still an Albion player at the time of writing.

But there could be a late twist in the tale, with Southampton’s emerging interest a concern for Albion to deal with given there is such a short time before the start of the new campaign.

Albion may have to brace themselves for a hectic end to the transfer window if Fellows departs, with the club hamstrung so far this summer due to their inability to sanction a big-money exit.

West Brom face fresh interest in Tom Fellows from Southampton

There seems to be a domino effect unfolding between West Brom, Southampton and Everton with the latest transfer links.

After Everton were previously touted to make a move this summer for Tom Fellows, they have reportedly switched their targets to pursue Saints’ starlet Tyler Dibling, with the Merseyside outfit bidding £40 million, including add-ons.

Now a report from Football Insider has claimed that the South Coast outfit could make a move for Fellows as a replacement for Dibling, who was joint-top for assists in the Championship after notching 14.

West Brom are expected to demand a big fee for Fellows given their reluctance to part ways with the academy graduate, as the 22-year-old could play a big part in a promotion push back to the Premier League under Ryan Mason.

It could be a nervy end to the transfer window as far as West Brom are concerned, with both Tom Fellows and Torbjorn Heggem being linked with big-money moves away from The Hawthorns.

While the addition of funds will ease their concerns with P&S, Albion will be up against the clock to secure new signings, with the Black Country outfit already missing out on numerous targets due to their inability to throw masses amount of cash earlier this summer.

With Fellows in particular, the Baggies would be left a lot weaker on the right side if he was to wave goodbye from B71, as Jed Wallace is the only other recognised right-wing option, while Mikey Johnston has been trialed in that role earlier in pre-season.

As Ryan Mason looks to build a free-flowing forward line that can dominate opposition boxes, Fellows could be at the heart of implementing that, with his direct nature and ability to skip past defenders with ease two big qualities that the team desperately needs to retain.

Albion wouldn’t have been close to play-off contention without Fellows’ consistent performances on the right flank, with his deliveries so key to the frontmen getting the service they crave to make an impact.

A sale of Heggem to Bologna for a reported fee of £10m may be the lesser of two evils, given that they already have the likes of Nat Phillips, George Campbell, Caleb Taylor and Kyle Bartley on the books, but there’s no doubt this will be coming at the wrong time and leaving the West Brom recruitment with all the pressure to replace the gaping holes.

Time will tell whether these moves materialise, but Albion must have a plan in place to deal with these exits, otherwise it could be a window that leads to significant discontent from the Baggies faithful towards the hierarchy if there isn't enough time to secure adequate replacements.