Exclusive: Sky pundit dismisses West Brom, Tom Fellows theory after Southampton swoop | OneFootball

Albion lost the services of their key man to Will Still's side in the latter stages of the summer window

Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie is unsure whether the loss of Tom Fellows to Southampton will have any bearing on West Bromwich Albion's chances of returning to the Premier League this season.

The Baggies had started the campaign in extremely impressive form under the new management of Ryan Mason before suffering a first Championship defeat of the season on Saturday, with Derby County continuing their recent winning streak over Albion courtesy of Andreas Weimann's 84th-minute winner at The Hawthorns.

Ironically, Mason has only tasted defeat against John Eustace's side so far in his first full-time managerial role, with Derby also defeating the West Midlands outfit in the EFL Cup First Round back in August.

Much has been made of West Brom's chances of returning to the top flight for the first time since 2021 this term after last season's disappointing end to the season which ended in a ninth-place finish, with the new boss overseeing a major squad reshuffle in the summer.

Yet, despite resisting long-standing interest in Fellows from the likes of Southampton and Everton in the current and previous transfer windows, the 22-year-old winger would eventually move to St Mary's in a deal reportedly worth up to £10m.

Lee Hendrie assesses West Bromwich Albion's promotion chances after Tom Fellows, Southampton transfer move

Fellows is arguably one of the strongest success stories to come out of Albion's current spell in the Championship, progressing through the academy ranks to eventually becoming a first-team regular in B71.

The Solihull-born winger made his major breakthrough during Carlos Corberan's two-year tenure in charge between October 2022 and last December, which culminated in 14 assists last term - the joint-highest figure alongside Josh Murphy of Portsmouth.

After already making headlines on the South Coast for his involvement in a flashpoint against Pompey in Sunday's local derby, Hendrie isn't necessarily sure whether his move to Will Still's outfit will have a major impact on Albion's chances of promotion despite an accumulation of 10 points from a possible 15 thus far.

"I mean, losing one player, it isn't always the case that you look at it and (think) it affects their chances of promotion," the Sky Sports pundit exclusively told Football League World. "But, you do want to keep your best players.

"It's how they step up from losing players like Tom Fellows, because he's a good player.

"He's talented, and unfortunately they're without his services now. It will be a disappointment to the football club.

"I'm not sure whether it will affect their promotion push this season," Hendrie claimed. "But, as I said, you want to keep your best players to give yourselves the chance of that actually happening.

"Unfortunately, that's not the case here (with West Brom)," he added.

It remains to be seen whether Mason can keep up the early momentum generated in this part of the West Midlands following a first league defeat of his tenure and the recent loss of Albion's prized asset.

West Brom still have some very capable wide options, such as the experienced duo of Jed Wallace and Mikey Johnston, whilst Villa loanee Samuel Iling-Junior also made his debut for the club on Saturday.

However, particularly in the right-wing position, besides Wallace and Isaac Price, there isn't the greatest amount of natural or adequate depth for Mason to call upon at present, especially when the latter of the duo has flourished in an advanced central role during the opening weeks of the campaign.