Lacking out on the Championship playoff spots final season by simply three factors, Carlos Corberan‘s West Bromwich Albion will hope historical past would not repeat itself once more with the Baggies simply outdoors the playoff image as soon as once more 16 video games into the brand new second-tier marketing campaign.
The Baggies left the door open for Sunderland to leapfrog above them within the league standings final match, West Brom dropping narrowly at St Mary’s to Russell Martin‘s Southampton 2-1 to give up their grasp on sixth place to Tony Mowbray‘s Black Cats.
Personnel on the Hawthorns within the type of John Swift and Grady Diangana will hope they’ll lead from the entrance to push the West Midlanders additional up the division, Corberan’s males determined to interrupt their now three-season keep within the second tier to return to going through off towards English soccer’s elite.
The Baggies supervisor may even gamble on choosing younger expertise Tom Fellows forward of senior faces to spearhead a sustained promotion push, the 20-year-old tipped for an enormous future within the recreation.
The one-time Crawley City loanee has been unleashed onto the Championship sparingly by the Spaniard this season, displaying glimpses of his distinctive creativity in short-lived cameos.
Tom Fellows’ statistics this season
Fellows’ electrical performances at youth degree for West Brom have greater than warranted Corberan giving him transient cameo appearances at senior degree now, the 20-year-old netting 14 goals in total for the Baggies at U18 and U21 level.
Handed his first ever first-team appearance within the second tier versus Studying in 2021, Fellows has gone on to function within the senior ranks 14 extra occasions.
But to register a objective or an help within the males’s workforce on the Hawthorns, Fellows has nonetheless impressed within the second tier when substituted on.
A short 15-minute spell off the bench versus QPR noticed the teen create a big opening for a teammate to extend the Baggies lead as per Sofascore, strolling previous his marker with ease to then tee up Jed Wallace who squandered the chance.
Corberan may properly start to tinker along with his regimented first eleven to accommodate the 20-year-old to start out extra matches, displacing the likes of Matt Phillips and Diangana because of this.
It may properly be a conundrum that the Spanish supervisor has to return to phrases with quickly, Fellows linked with a transfer away from the Hawthorns in latest weeks owing to his contract operating out on the finish of the season.
Fellow’s future at West Brom
West Brom will not need to have one other case of the one which acquired away, Louie Barry leaving the Baggies as a youngster for Barcelona a notable departee.
Nevertheless, that scenario may very well be repeated right here with experiences suggesting that the youth product turned rare first-teamer is topic to curiosity from overseas, Football Insider suggesting that Bundesliga outfits Werder Bremen and FC Augsburg are excited by West Brom’s quantity 31.
There’s also interest from West Brom’s promotion rivals within the type of Southampton and Leicester City, the Baggies hoping that they’ll bat away any potential bids by giving their younger expertise extra beginning alternatives within the weeks to return.
Fellows may stake a declare to be Corberan’s beginning man down the left wing, an unnatural slot for the 20-year-old to occupy however one he may fill with a scarcity of choices out there to his supervisor – Adam Attain sidelined with an harm presently down that flank.
West Brom will do all the pieces of their energy to maintain Fellows on the membership, an rising younger expertise who appears as if he can solely get higher if nurtured and developed with endurance on the Hawthorns.
