"£20m" value claim given to West Brom star Tom Fellows as Everton circle | OneFootball

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This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

20-year-old West Bromwich Albion winger Tom Fellows attracted interest from Premier League side Everton in the January transfer window.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano said the club were looking to strike a deal that would see him join in the summer, and that 777 Partners - the group who have agreed to buy a controlling stake in the Toffees - were considering a sign-to-loan deal with Albion for Fellows, that would have seen the winger return to the Hawthorns for the remainder of the season.

At the time of this reported interest, Fellows' contract with the club was set to expire this summer. Just over a couple of weeks later, he signed a new contract with West Brom, which is set to keep him with the club through until the summer of 2027. So Everton's chances at a cut-price deal were eliminated, but there is still a strong likelihood that their interest could be rekindled once the 2023/24 season is over.

Football League World'sWest Brom fan pundit had his say on how much the Baggies should be willing to accept for him.

West Brom fan pundit thinks the club should get at least £20 million for Tom Fellows

FLW's West Brom fan pundit Matt Smith has said that he would want an eight-figure fee for the 20-year-old.

"You look at how much other players go for, I'd try for £20m," said FLW's Baggies fan pundit.

"There's a massive premium on young English players. I can't really justify much more than that because he hasn't played much Championship football. However, his stats, for the amount of minutes he gets, show that he's a promising player.

"He's an old-fashioned winger and there aren't many players who know how to play like that. He can beat his man, and put a ball in the box. I think he's invaluable, and he's hugely influential for Albion's future.

"So I'd say £20 million at least. Maybe I am undervaluing him, but, if [Jaden] Philogene could go for £15 million, then he's at least £20 million."

£20 million price tag for Tom Fellows would be hard for Everton to justify

If those who make up 777 Partners are partial to a bit of poker, then this deal should be right up their street.

They could go up to a table, tell the dealer to put all £20 million on red or black, and that may end up being a safer bet than using the same money on Fellows.

There isn't much of a sample size to go off of.

He's started six Championship games in his entire career, come off the bench in a further 13, and his production from that time on the pitch is two goals and an assist. Premier League clubs might take a punt on a largely unproven player like Fellows if they see enough potential to justify spending a few million, but not 20.

Philogene, by comparison, has been one of the most exciting players in the Championship this season, and Aston Villa could buy him back for as little as £15 million in the summer. It'd be hard to justify Player A costing at least £5 million more than Player B, when Player B has six more goals and five more assists than Player A, in the league alone.

Everton are cash-strapped enough anyway. To buy Fellows for that amount of money would be a hard sell to fans.