Don Goodman: Leicester City ego boost for exit-linked Tom Fellows amid West Brom news
Don Goodman is pleased to have seen Tom Fellows sign a new contract with West Brom, but insists that does not rule out an exit further down the line.
Fellows was linked with Premier League club Everton and Championship rivals Leicester City before and during the January transfer window.
The academy product, who had been due to be out of contract in July, ended up putting pen to paper on a two-and-a-half year deal at The Hawthorns.
Discussing Fellows’ future with West Brom News, former Albion striker Goodman said: “The only thing that matters when you sign a new contract is that the club you’re at will get more money for you.
“If a player wants to then force the issue and force a move, more often than not they can. It’s a different beast now compared to when I was playing.
“But it’s really positive that he’s signed a new contract. He’s getting playing opportunities which is really important for him.
“It’ll be pleasing for him to be linked with clubs of the calibre of Everton or Leicester and it’s a boost for his ego. But if he went to another club, he wouldn’t necessarily be getting regular first-team football as he is at the moment.
“From his perspective, he needs to enjoy the rest of this season and see where it takes West Brom.
“It’s really good news for West Brom that he’s now tied up because if he does leave in the summer at least they’ll get a fairer price and more money than if he’d left previously.”
Tom Fellows attracting Premier League interest
There was a real worry among West Brom fans prior to the January window opening that Fellows would be moved out – more out of necessity than choice – with Everton and Leicester supposedly circling.
The takeover situation remains just as in the balance then as it does now, with no funds coming into the club other than via loans that must be paid back with interest on top.
Selling a player or two therefore seemed inevitable, and the fact Fellows was due to become a free agent five months later made him a prime target for rival clubs.
As it is, though, Albion managed to persuade him to agree fresh terms in a move that makes sense for both parties.
West Brom have a great talent on their hands, while Fellows is now playing regularly for a team competing to get in the top flight.
The brutal truth, as Goodman points out, is that a new deal does not necessarily mean a player will stick around at a club.
Should West Brom get another season or two out of the youngster before selling on for a tidy profit, though, then that would be good business.
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