The minimum price West Brom would surely accept for Tom Fellows | OneFootball

FLW discusses the kind of fee the Baggies may be looking for Fellows, and compares similar sales from the Championship to help find his price tag.

West Bromwich Albion winger Tom Fellows enjoyed a breakthrough season with the Baggies in the 2023/24 season, and is one of the club's brightest young academy graduates in recent times.

At just 21, the England youth international pronounced himself as one of the best young talents in the Championship last season, scoring four times and providing three assists in 35 league games.

These displays were rewarded with a new contract extension in January, taking him through until the summer of 2027.

A two-footed winger, Fellows can operate on either flank, making him a versatile attacking weapon that can be shifted around mid-game to best exploit a matchup with a particular defender.

Paired with his trademark step over before crossing into the box, Fellows relies on his technique, ball control and dribbling ability to beat his defender, and create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates at a very high level for his age.

Inevitably, top clubs are always on the lookout for a bright young star emerging that they can steal away from a lower league, and if he continues his progression this season, Albion may have a tough task on their hands in keeping him at the Hawthorns.

So, how much should West Brom command as a minimum asking price for the talented winger? Football League World investigates...

West Brom hinted at their possible Fellows valuation in the summer

Albion would have hoped that by signing Fellows to a new long-term deal, that interest from other clubs may have cooled off as a result, given that no cut-price bargain was going to be had. But, that wasn't the case.

Instead, strong interest arrived from multiple Premier League clubs. Football Insider exclusively reported that Ipswich Town were in advanced talks over an £11m move for Fellows in the final hours of the window, but no deal ever materialised.

However, it was a report from Telegraph journalist John Percy that perhaps offered the biggest glimpse into the kind of fee West Brom would deem acceptable for Fellows.

Percy revealed in a post via his X account on 27 August that Albion had rejected a £10m approach from Southampton for their star winger, but that price fell "well below his market value".

If that was indeed the case, and a £10m fee was considerably lower than West Brom's asking price, perhaps a valuation closer to £20m would be around the price tag the Baggies were looking for?

Crysencio Summerville set the benchmark for Championship wingers last season

The 2023/24 Championship player of the year; Crysencio Summerville was as good as they came in the second tier last season.

Summerville bagged 20 goals and nine assists in 40 Championship appearances for Leeds United in 2023/24, which earned him a big-money move to the Premier League.

The Dutch youth international signed a five-year deal with West Ham United, in a transfer reported to be worth in excess of £25m, plus add-ons.

Being in that same age range as Fellows, but with his production being far superior to his, or indeed any other winger in the Championship last term, it's perhaps slightly unreasonable to suggest that the West Brom man is worth as much as this.

Jaden Philogene transfer fee makes it hard to justify bigger price tag for Fellows

Just one season after selling him to Hull City for £5m, Aston Villa matched Ipswich Town's £18m bid for Jaden Philogene in July, and brought the winger back to Villa Park.

The Tigers banked around £13.5m of that deal, as Villa had agreed a 30% sell-on clause with the Championship side when they sold the England youth international to them last season.

One year older than Fellows at 22, Philogene cemented himself as one of the best wingers in the second tier last season, scoring 12 goals and providing six assists in 32 Championship appearances.

When you compare that to Fellows' four goals and three assists in 35 games, it would be difficult to justify placing a higher price tag on the West Brom winger than £18m, with Philogene now playing regular Premier League and Champions League football at Villa Park.

Sunderland's Jack Clarke was sold in £15-20m range

Sunderland's Jack Clarke had firmly established himself as one of the leading wingers in the Championship over the last two seasons, and was sold to Ipswich Town in a deal worth an initial £15m, potentially rising to £20m this summer.

The former Spurs, Leeds, Stoke and QPR forward bagged 15 goals and four assists in 40 Championship games last season, an excellent follow-up season from his nine goals and 12 assists in the second tier from the season before.

Again, looking at Clarke's production compared to Fellows, it's hard to suggest that he should fall in that price range either.

Baggies should demand around £12m for Fellows as a minimum fee

Despite not quite demonstrating the same production levels as the aforementioned wingers yet, there are certainly plenty of signs that he can.

Until he starts hitting double-figure returns in either the goals or assists department, it's difficult to place his transfer value with the likes of Summerville, Philogene and Clarke.

However, Fellows has gotten off to a strong start on the assists front this season, and should he carry on at his current form in that area of his game throughout the season, he should comfortably reach the double-figure mark in that category.

Then his value may well be easier to match with the other players mentioned, but for now, the Baggies should be holding out for a minimum fee of £12m.

That's still a big chunk of money for an academy graduate, and is a fair valuation in regard to his production and potential at this moment in time.