Andrew Nestor says why West Brom sold Tom Fellows as he causes outrage on Southampton debut
West Brom academy graduate Tom Fellows debuted for Southampton in their 0-0 draw against rivals Portsmouth on Sunday.
Baggies supporters, however, had more to be upset about over the weekend, as West Brom were beaten at home by Derby County in their first defeat of the Championship season.
West Brom supporters were furious when Fellows was sold, though. The winger joined the Albion academy in 2012 and made nearly 100 appearances for the first team.
Ryan Mason said he was looking forward to managing Fellows after he was hired in June. Unfortunately, the Baggies boss only got to manage him for a handful of games before his £10million move to Southampton.
Andrew Nestor gives reasoning behind Tom Fellows transfer
Fellows was an integral player for West Brom last term, bagging an impressive 14 assists as the Baggies finished ninth.
Andrew Nestor has now come out to address the reasons behind the decision to sell the now-former Albion winger.
He said, as quoted by the Birmingham Mail: “The offer we received from Southampton was the best offer we’ve ever received for him. Given that he’s a homegrown player, there’s a benefit from a PSR perspective as well.”
Nestor says he spoke with Fellows earlier in the year, and insisted that any potential sale also needed to “be right for Tom”.
While supporters see a beloved player leave for another Championship team also chasing promotion, the club will view it as a sale booked as pure profit for them because Fellows is a homegrown player.
The fear of breaking PSR rules has impacted teams across England, forcing sales of many beloved academy graduates.
Despite losing such an important player, West Brom fans have plenty to rejoice about as their team is currently fifth in the Championship.
How did Tom Fellows do on his Southampton debut vs Portsmouth?
Fellows started Southampton’s 0-0 draw with Portsmouth on Sunday on the right side of the attack for the Saints, making one key pass and completing one accurate cross, according to Sofascore. He also completed half of his attempted dribbles and was fouled once.
Defensively, he won two ground duels and made one interception.
During the match at St Mary’s, a collision between Portsmouth players Connor Ogilvie and Nicolas Schmid resulted in the latter coming off injured.
Pompey boss John Mousinho believes Fellows’ push on Ogilvie caused the injury to Schmid.
He said: “It is a small push but a small push with massive consequences … there’s no other explanation for that other than he’s trying to injure our players.”
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