West Bromwich Albion are seemingly coming to the end of their search for a new manager, amid rampant speculation surrounding Raphael Wicky, albeit with the Baggies still heading into their fifth game in all competitions without Carlos Corberan at the helm today in the FA Cup.
This will be a tough test for the Baggies as they travel to Premier League side AFC Bournemouth, hopeful that an upset could be on the cards for interim boss Chris Brunt.
Away from the ongoing managerial situation, the Baggies have also started to be linked with January additions on the pitch, with this potential deal now looking dead in the water.
West Brom’s interest in Isaiah Jones
It did look as if West Brom were going to secure an early January purchase in the form of Middlesbrough attacker Isaiah Jones, with a bumper £5m deal reportedly on the table.
Now, however, no such deal could be occurring according to Express and Star journalist Lewis Cox, with the journalist taking to his X account to reveal that links between the two sides are “wide of the mark”.
This might well come as a blessing in disguise for those at the Hawthorns, with £5m a steep amount to fork out for a winger who is yet to register a single goal or assist for Boro this season, as the likes of Luton Town now race into the lead for his signature.
Moreover, if West Brom can keep a firm grip on Tom Fellows across January, this development would have made the move for Jones feel even more redundant, considering the homegrown ace’s heroics down Jones’ right flank so far this campaign.
Fellows’ market value at West Brom
After being thrown into the deep end once or twice under Corberan during the 2023/24 season, Fellows has since taken to the demands of the Championship like a duck to water.
Market Movers
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Indeed, the super confident 21-year-old boasts a stellar goal contribution total of 12 in league action to date, with ten of those startlingly being assists, which often come about when the West Brom youngster is darting forward with pace before setting up chances for clinical players such as Josh Maja to tap home.
Of course, there will be lots of joy in the air that Fellows is continuing to rip the second tier to shreds, with football talent scout Jacek Kulig labelling his sensational showings as “explosive.”
But, the big anxiety will be that a higher up poacher will put forward a sizeable bid for the 21-year-old at some point this hectic month, with Everton previously noted as an interested party watching the Solihull-born forward with intrigue.
Southampton even reportedly had a bid turned down last summer as they went about assembling a new squad for the Premier League, as the Baggies now brace for more frenzied interest.
West Brom will take some solace in the fact that if Fellows was to depart, at least he was a product of their own academy who they managed to snap up for nothing, with the electric number 31 surely worth many millions now.
West Brom’s top five goal & assist contributors – 2024/25 |
||
---|---|---|
Player |
League games played |
G/A numbers combined |
1. Josh Maja |
26 |
14 |
2. Tom Fellows |
26 |
12 |
3. Karlan Grant |
25 |
8 |
4. Alex Mowatt |
24 |
6 |
5. Michael Johnston |
22 |
4 |
Stats by Sofascore |
If past transfer window rumours are anything to go by, Fellows could go for around the £15m mark this January, which would amazingly be more than Maja’s reported £10m valuation, with clubs sniffing around too for West Brom’s top goalscorer.
That is £10m more than Jones’ value as well, with the Baggies no doubt expanding their horizons away from the Boro attacker if Fellows was to be sold.
Ideally, Fellows would be kept around, but West Brom will know all too well how hard it can be to keep top assets when bigger clubs start lurking.
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