Credit: Imago

James Barker

Wed 27 May 2026 13:45, UK

Tom Fellows didn’t enjoy a great 2025-26 debut season with Southampton, after leaving West Bromwich Albion for big money last summer.

Having developed through West Brom’s academy ranks, the versatile winger first broke into the Albion first-team picture all the way back in the 2021-22 season.

Fellows played six times for the senior side that year, before a quiet loan spell with Crawley in 2022-23 saw him return to The Hawthorns with his future somewhat up in the air.

But, over the next two seasons, he would evolve into a key member of the Baggies’ side, scoring nine goals and providing 18 assists across 84 appearances in all competitions.

His rapid rise from academy prospect to Championship star presented West Brom with the opportunity to cash in during last summer’s transfer window, and Hawthorns chiefs won’t have any regrets over doing so.

How did Tom Fellows fare at Southampton in 2025-26?

Many West Brom fans weren’t happy at Fellows’ sale at the time, as he moved to Southampton in a deal worth a reported initial fee of £8million, plus a further £2m in add-ons.

A lot of Baggies supporters felt their club were being short-changed by the Saints, especially after he was sold fresh off the back of scoring four goals and providing 14 assists in 45 Championship games in 2024-25.

However, with the 2025-26 campaign now in the books, there is only one winner from this trade so far, and that’s West Brom.

Fellows only started 25 of his 38 Championship appearances for Southampton last term, was hooked off in Saints’ play-off semi-final first leg against Middlesbrough and was an unused sub in the second leg respectively.

The 22-year-old failed to score a single goal in all competitions for the St Mary’s outfit, and provided a modest six assists in the Championship as well.

As per FotMob, Fellows ranked in the bottom 11.5 percentile of second-tier right wingers for shots on target per game in 2025-26, averaging just 0.22.

He also placed in the bottom 18.5 percentile for duels win per 90 at 3.67, the lower 8.9 percentile for possessions won in the final third per 90 with 0.19, as well as ranking in the bottom 42 percentile for touches per game at 46.0 respectively.

Fellows took just 1.37 shots, completed 23.9 passes, registered a crossing accuracy of 24 per cent, made 1.11 successful dribbles and made just 2.30 defensive contributions per game in the league last term too.

Fellows’ Southampton troubles may only be starting

Southampton are the talk of the EFL at the moment, as the fallout from their ‘Spygate’ scandal continues.

The Saints admitted to three counts of spying on opponents before Championship matches last season, and were expelled from the play-offs after initially beating Middlesbrough in the semi-finals and progressing to the final.

As a result of this, it’s been reported that Southampton players are exploring their legal options due to a potential loss of earnings, with contracts typically including promotion bonuses and wage increases.

It remains to be seen how far the Saints players take this, but the squad are understood to be far from happy with the situation, and it’s safe to assume a number of them will want out regardless of what happens regarding their own legal case.

Fellows could be one of those, which if he was to leave, Saints may struggle to get their money back for the winger after an underwhelming campaign.

West Brom won’t be losing any sleep over their decision to sell Fellows then, with that cash injection integral to helping them out in their ongoing financial battle, as well as being put back into the playing squad.