Watford trip could be Tom Fellows’ chance to reset for Southampton | OneFootball

Southampton open their 2026/27 Championship at Watford with Tom Fellows under scrutiny after a flat first year. The £10m winger could be desperate to impress if picked.

According to Sainstmarching.com, Saints have not lost at Watford since 2007 and arrive buoyed by a 2-0 EFL Cup win. Tonda Eckert’s side will want a fast start as they begin chipping away at a four-point deduction linked to Spygate.

Cyle Larin and Finn Azaz had pre-season fitness issues, yet both impressed in Essex. Larin struck soon after coming on, finding the net within 10 minutes on the pitch.

Azaz produced 11 goals and eight assists in last season’s Championship and has already set up Romeo Akachukwu’s first senior goal at his boyhood club, Colchester. Momentum could matter at Vicarage Road.

Leo Scienza and Lewis Dobbin are also vying for minutes, with Dobbin a £9m arrival. Fellows, however, is the forgotten option.

The 23-year-old joined from West Brom for £10m after delivering 17 assists and eight goals across two Championship seasons, drawing high praise from former team-mate Karlan Grant. He has struggled to find the same rhythm at St Mary’s.

Fellows finished his debut Saints season on eight assists and no goals in 44 appearances. He laboured at Danny Cowley’s Colchester last weekend, managing only one effort at goal.

Eckert said in March that Fellows had an important role to play in the run-in, yet the spark did not arrive. A fresh campaign might give him the reset he needs.

If he starts today, a decisive contribution at Watford could shift perceptions and strengthen his case within a crowded attack.

Source: Sainstmarching.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”