Southampton are reportedly interested in completing the signing of a “very quick” Championship player, but it may not be easy to get a deal over the line.
Saints suffered the misery of being relegated from the Premier League last season, but it was hoped that a swift return to the top flight would be on the cards, as they went into the 2023/24 campaign as one of the favourites for promotion. While not one of the leading two clubs in the automatic promotion positions currently, Russell Martin’s side sit in a healthy fourth place in the table after a brilliant win over West Brom.
It could be that Martin looks to do some important business during the January transfer window, adding sprinklings of quality to the squad and ensuring that his team’s chances of going up are as good as they can possibly be. A new update regarding Saints’ potential upcoming business has now emerged, as they look to nab a player from under the noses of one of their rivals.
Southampton want Tom Fellows
According to a fresh report from The Daily Mail, Southampton are interested in signing West Brom youngster Tom Fellows but the Baggies are trying to tie him down to a new deal.
“West Bromwich Albion are trying to keep hold of forward Tom Fellows amid mounting interest from Championship rivals Leicester City and Southampton. The highly rated 20-year old is out of contract at the end of the season and Albion are keen to get him to sign new terms.
“Albion are in the process of being taken over and the prospective new owners have already indicated they want Fellows to stay but Leicester and Southampton sense an opportunity to snap up a young, versatile player of potential and are monitoring developments ahead of January.”
Fellows could be a really exciting signing for Southampton if he decides against committing his future to West Brom, with the 20-year-old midfielder making a sporadic impact at the Hawthorns this season.
While Fellows’ appearances don’t yet include a single start, he has made five cameos in the Championship, as well as playing once in the EFL Cup. In the latter, he completed all 100% of his passes, highlighting the technical quality that he has in his armoury.
In fact, West Brom manager Carlos Corberan has clearly been impressed with what he has seen of the youngster in the past, saying of him:
“He is one player we need to be calm and give him time because he needs time to show what he has. He’s a very quick player and can manage the right and left foot and he can beat players with the one-v-one – maybe with this description you think I am talking about the best player in the world!”
Southampton wouldn’t necessarily be signing an immediate key player, given his lack of minutes for the Baggies this season, but he would certainly be considered an exciting prospect for the future.
