West Brom are bracing themselves for further interest in attacker Tom Fellows, this time from the Bundesliga, according to Football Insider.
The 20-year-old has broken into the first team setup in recent weeks at the Hawthorns, featuring in the West Midlands’ side’s last six Championship fixtures. Although these appearances have been from the substitutes bench, he is highly rated at the Hawthorns, although his current deal is set to expire at the end of the season.
Fellows enjoyed his first taste of regular first team football last season at League Two outfit Crawley Town, where he appeared 38 times as the Red Devils survived the drop into the National League by the skin of their teeth.
Having been with the club for 10 years, West Brom are keen to tie the youngster down to a new contract, but it was reported by the Daily Mail at the weekend that he had caught the eye of Championship rivals Leicester City and Southampton. However, it is now claimed that there is further interest from Germany’s top league.
According to Peter O’Rourke, Werder Bremen and Augsburg are watching the situation closely and are looking to swoop in January, when the academy graduate will be free to talk to overseas clubs.
Saturday’s 2-1 defeat against fellow promotion-chasers Southampton ended a run of three successive wins for Carlos Corberan’s team, a result which saw them slip out of the play-off places into seventh. It doesn’t get any easier after the international break, when they host second-placed Ipswich Town on November 25th.
Writer’s View
These reports will be a cause for concern for West Brom. Although Leicester and Southampton’s interest would have been a worry, there would have been no need for panic as they still have until the end of the campaign to negotiate fresh terms with the versatile player. However, the same rules do not apply for European clubs and they will be free to make a move in January on pre-agreement terms.
This could speed up the contract discussions at the Hawthorns, although this could equally be agent talk in the hopes of landing his client a better deal. It’s certainly a situation to watch, especially with German clubs known for taking a punt on young English talent in recent years.
Head of Writing
