West Brom’s disappointment with Crystal Palace could be influencing their thoughts about the 20-year-old: Look at
John Swift’s calf injury suffered during Albion’s 3-1 loss to Birmingham City in early October gave the 20-year-old a chance to show off, and his 17-minute cameo at St Andrews proved the winger could be a valuable asset in the second division.
The forward has seen a lot of action off the bench under Carlos Corberan, and given his competitive nature, ability to outmuscle opponents, and reliable finishing touch, there’s hope that he can log a substantial amount of minutes before the season ends.
Given that Fellows is still in the early stages of his career and has played 40 games in the fourth division, it is likely that his loan stint in League Two with Crawley Town contributed to his improvement.
Many clubs are rumored to be interested in wide player Fellows, who could emerge as one of the Championship’s next rising stars. However, as Fellows’ contract expires, what should West Brom do next?
The principal cause behind Fellows’ rumored departure from The Hawthorns is his present contractual predicament.
Fellows is approaching the last year of his current contract with Albion, and a number of elite teams are trying to lure the young player away for a steep price.
The Daily Mail claims that West Brom is up against competition from Southampton and Leicester City in the Championship for Fellows.
According to the report, the Saints and Foxes are keeping an eye on the 20-year-old as potential Baggies suitors prioritize holding onto him ahead of the January transfer window.
Football Insider claims that Augsburg and Werder Bremen, two Bundesliga teams, are also reportedly watching Fellows.
In 2020, West Brom encountered a similar circumstance with young prospect Nathan Ferguson, who ultimately transferred to Premier League team Crystal Palace for an alleged £900,000 fee, even though the two teams had initially agreed on an £8 million deal for the defender.
Albion’s unstable financial status—the team needs to raise money from outgoings after taking out a £20 million loan from MSD Holdings—may tempt them to part ways with Fellows at this point in time for a sizable sum.
After entering the first team, Fellows is still one of the club’s very few profitable assets. If a potential takeover falls through in the upcoming months, his sale could allay worries about the Black Country team.
The club’s sale will determine the next course of action, but in the event that no agreement is reached by the January transfer window, the Baggies may need to take steps to raise additional funds because Guochuan Lai, the club’s controlling shareholder, has not made any investments.
Albion’s desperation may make it possible for Fellows to be sold for a low price, but if that can give the team the financial stability it needs to compete at the top of the second division, the team may have to bite the bullet and let go of one of its young prospects, much to the dismay of the supporters.
Because of Fellows’ contract situation, West Brom will need to make a decision regarding his future in the coming year. The Baggies have previously clashed with Premier League clubs over academy graduates, so if a takeover doesn’t seem likely, they should remove any risk by obtaining a sizable sum of money for the 20-year-old at the start of 2024.
READ MORE
We’re finally getting back to the fun stuff. Although the international break can be thrilling at times and there was a lot of drama during the World Cup and Euro 2024 qualifying, most people are relieved that it is now over.
Given that this is the final international break until March, this will undoubtedly be Ipswich’s busiest time of the season and the one that ultimately determines how their campaign plays out.
There is no limit to the heights they can reach if they maintain their form. But the winter months can be harsh, with two matches against Leicester City and a trip to Leeds United scheduled for December and January.
Oh, and don’t forget about the December 16th game. That is also very important.
The nights will grow shorter and the temperature will drop. In the race for promotion, this is what sets the men apart from the boys.
At the beginning of the previous season, West Brom was one of the favorites to win promotion, but fans were leery due to Steve Bruce’s appalling managerial track record. Given that the Baggies were in 22nd place in the Championship at the beginning of October, it came as no surprise when he was fired.
His replacement, Carlos Corberan, had just returned from an odd two-month stint at Olympiacos. He was a good fit, having led Huddersfield Town to the Championship Play-Off final the year before.
The results improved quickly and the play-offs appeared achievable with a simple run-in. They ultimately lost by three points, but their goal is to improve this season and start over over the summer.
They’re definitely in the running despite a patchy beginning. Prior to their unfortunate 2-1 loss to Southampton in their most recent match, they had won five, drawn four, and lost just one of their previous ten games.
There’s no reason why this can’t be the season that they close the gap, as they are currently outside of the top six based only on goal differential.
There are a few areas in which West Brom excels.
First of all, they have a massive home form. The Hawthorns, which typically draw slightly more than 23,000 spectators, is an extremely difficult venue to visit. When things are going well for their team, which can quickly lose momentum, they create an amazing noise.
The Championship’s fourth-best home record belongs to the Baggies, who have won five, drawn two, and lost just once. In comparison, they have the 13th-best road record in the division having only won twice this season away from home.
Their strong defensive record—they have only given up 17 goals in 16 games, which is better than teams like Ipswich, Southampton, and Preston North End—is largely responsible for this.
There are unmistakable parallels between Corberan and Kieran McKenna.
Each of them is a young manager. Corberan turned forty only in April, and McKenna is one of the NFL’s youngest managers at thirty-seven.
Their playing careers were also brief. Naturally, McKenna retired in 2009 after suffering a hip injury. Even two surgeries and two years of rehabilitation weren’t enough to keep him at Tottenham Hotspur. In contrast, Corberan began his career at Valencia B before quitting at age 23 to focus on his love of coaching.
Goalie Alex Palmer leads the division in clean sheet totals, having shut out Bristol City, Millwall, Preston, Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth, QPR, and Coventry between them.
Town has, of course, scored in every game this season, but this one might be the most difficult one for their front line to contend with.
Both men come from that background. Before joining Leeds United, Corberan relocated to Cyprus to manage Doxa and Ermis, first serving as the team’s under-23 manager. His achievements as Marcelo Bielsa’s first-team coach earned him the opportunity to manage Huddersfield, and things took off from there.
McKenna’s path has been a little different because, prior to joining Ipswich, he gained coaching experience at both Tottenham and Manchester United.
Their approaches to tactics are where the two diverge most. While West Brom is a strong defensive team that can be exposed up front in the hunt for a clean sheet, the Blues are undoubtedly a strong attacking team. McKenna and Corberan obviously have different priorities.
The majority of Ipswich’s roster is available for today’s trip to the West Midlands, but McKenna has to address a few serious issues.
There is some chaos as a result of the international break. Most weeks, Massimo Luongo and Cameron Burgess are among the first names on the team sheet, but they have just returned from an intense international break that saw them play for the Socceroos in Australia and Kuwait.
Axel Tuanzebe or George Edmundson could replace Burgess, and Jack Taylor would be the logical choice to replace Luongo. Elkan Baggott, who started both of Indonesia’s away games against Iraq and the Philippines, is typically a contender to start at center back.
Despite having played for just over an hour against Turkey on Tuesday night in Cardiff, Nathan Broadhead should be good to go from the starting lineup. Dane Scarlett, who returned from Regensburg earlier this week following England’s dramatic under-20 comeback against Germany, is also anticipated to be available.
