Fresh West Brom reaction given to Tom Fellows situation at Southampton - "It's a shame" | OneFootball

Fellows made an intriguing switch across the Championship late in the summer window

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It has been an interesting start to the Championship campaign for both West Bromwich Albion and Southampton, with both clubs under the management of two of the country's most up-and-coming head coaches and managers.

After a rather chaotic 2024/25 campaign, Albion settled on the appointment of Ryan Mason in what is the 34-year-old's first full-time managerial role, whilst Saints were able to conclude their search for Ivan Juric's successor in advance of the final day of their dismal relegation season from the Premier League when the highly-rated Will Still was confirmed in the St Mary's hotseat.

Given the recent pedigree of both clubs, performances at The Hawthorns and on the South Coast at Championship level often come under the microscope, and whilst West Brom's recent form has been extremely patchy, the West Midlands side still sit five places and nine points ahead of Saints, who are yet to shake off their post-relegation hangover, having won just four of their previous 48 league encounters since winning the play-off final against Leeds United in May 2024.

Despite those struggles and a high amount of turnover at the club, Southampton were able to prize Tom Fellows away from the Baggies late in the summer window, with the 22-year-old the subject of a deal reportedly worth up to £10m in the latter stages of the summer transfer window.

However, the Solihull-born man is yet to kickstart his spell as a Saint, with it being debated by many, including Football League World's West Brom fan pundit, Callum Burgess, whether the former Albion favourite has already fallen victim to Still's tactics.

Tom Fellows' Southampton FC situation debated amid Will Still selection calls

Throughout his time in the first-team fold in B71, Fellows was utilised in an advanced position, predominantly on the right side of midfield.

Such rapid progression, largely under the guidance of Carlos Corberan, alerted Premier League clubs to his situation at The Hawthorns, such as Everton and Saints following their Wembley success under Russell Martin.

After notching a joint-divisional high tally of 14 assists last term, many factors surrounding Fellows' switch across the Championship were debated, none more so than the fee which Albion negotiated compared to previous valuation claims.

However, Burgess, like others, has questioned the move from a tactical sense at present, with Still opting to utilise a three-back formation which has a strong impetus on wing-backs rather than natural wingers, which has seen Fellows fail to make a start in the past month, even prior to missing his side's recent 2-1 defeat at fellow strugglers, Blackburn Rovers, through illness.

"I think there could've been potential for Fellows to do well in a wing-back system where he'd still be pushing forward on the right and helping a side provide as much width as possible," Burgess told FLW.

"In hindsight, with the amount of substitute appearances he's been limited to, as well as missing their last game through illness, it's much like when the move to Southampton first came up. It was a case of 'is that really going to happen?', because that doesn't look like a great fit for him," he added.

"So far, that's turned out to be the case. I think Fellows would've been better off staying at Albion for another year, and then pursuing a Premier League move in January or the summer.

"It's a shame," Burgess stated. "Because, we all know how talented Tom Fellows is, to see him not get the most out of his ability even though he's not in an Albion shirt anymore (is a shame)."

Tom Fellows may have initial feelings of regret following West Brom, Southampton agreement

When assessing the two months which have followed the aforementioned transfer agreement, the initial winners of the deal appear to be the Baggies, who were able to somewhat reinvest the significant fee in some much-needed squad depth, albeit it has been argued that more is needed in January to mount a serious play-off or promotion bid.

As previously mentioned, Fellows is among several new recruits who have been unable to make a strong first impression at Saints due to many factors, and it remains to be seen if that will change anytime soon due to Still's approach.

However, as Burgess alluded to, it is a shame that one of the EFL's brighest prospects is struggling for form, and Fellows may be left to feel serious regret about not holding out for a Premier League move should the current circumstances show no sign of stopping.