Shilen Patel sends out message amid West Brom fan fury over Tom Fellows sale
West Brom have finalised a deal that sees Tom Fellows join Championship rivals Southampton.
Fellows leaves after West Brom accepted a bid worth £10million, with reports claiming that the initial up-front fee is £8million.
Southampton have also reportedly agreed a sell-on clause for the 22-year-old winger, meaning Albion stand to profit from him again in the future.
Understandably, West Brom fans are furious with the fee Fellows has been allowed to leave for and owner and chairman Shilen Patel has taken some of the blame on social media.
Shilen Patel thanks Tom Fellows as West Brom agree £8m up-front fee
Patel has proven to be a popular owner since Bilkul bought West Brom from Guochuan Lai in February 2024.
However, Fellows‘ move to Southampton – at such a late stage in the summer transfer window and for such a low fee – has properly tested the faith shown in the American’s ownership.
After Fellows’ exit was announced on Friday, Patel took to social media to show his appreciation for the winger’s time at the Black Country club.
“Thank you, Tom,” he said.
| Rank | Player | Club | Assists tally |
| 1. | Tom Fellows | West Brom | 14 |
| = | Josh Murphy | Portsmouth | 14 |
| 3. | Manor Solomon | Leeds | 12 |
| = | Jack Rudoni | Coventry | 12 |
| 5. | Finn Azaz | Middlesbrough | 11 |
Last season, no player in the Championship assisted more goals than Fellows, who also won the European Championships with England Under-21s in the summer.
The Solihull-born dazzler is one of the brightest young English attackers outside of the Premier League. Yet he leaves West Brom for the same price as Torbjorn Heggem did – £10m.
What has Tom Fellows said about leaving?
Other than a season-long loan at Crawley Town in 2022/23, Fellows has spent his entire career at West Brom, joining their academy at Under-10s level.
He signed his first professional contract at The Hawthorns in July 2021, before making his senior West Brom debut in a Carabao Cup defeat to Arsenal a month later.
The now-Southampton winger leaves the Black Country having made 96 appearances in all competitions for the Baggies, scoring nine goals and supplying 19 assists.
Speaking through West Brom’s official X account after his move to St Mary’s was announced, Fellows said: “After 12 years in the West Brom family, it feels strange to be saying goodbye.
West Brom exits this summer
- Semi Ajayi – Free – Hull
- John Swift – Free – Portsmouth
- Grady Diangana – Free – Unattached
- Gianluca Frabotta – Cesena – Free
- Kyle Bartley – Retired
- Reyes Cleary – Barnsley – Compensation fee
- Torbjorn Heggem – Bologna – £10m
- Darnell Furlong – Ipswich – £4m
- Caleb Taylor – Millwall – £2.5m
- Tom Fellows – Southampton – £10m
“West Bromwich Albion has been my life and I have been so happy here. I want to thank everyone at WBA who has helped me get to where I am today.
“From the managers, the coaching staff way back from when I was 10 years old in the Academy, to the backroom staff, kitmen, catering staff, and a special mention to the stewards and staff who have looked after my family so well on matchdays!
“Most importantly, I want to thank the fans, who are the heart of the club. Players come and go, but your allegiance to the club does not waver.
“All the best, West Brom, I will miss you all and will look back with fondness and lots of good memories.”
Sign up for the West Brom News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking West Bromwich Albion news sent straight to your phone.