West Brom battle Ipswich to sign biggest talent since Fellows

The pace of change in the Championship remains truly remarkable and West Bromwich Albion are more aware of that than anyone else.

For example, looking back at the 2023/24 season, the Baggies finished in a respectable fifth place and made it to the play-offs, with Ipswich Town and Leicester City automatically promoted.

Just two years on, Leicester are closing in on League One, Ipswich are once again on the brink of a Premier League spot and West Brom narrowly avoided relegation following failed experiments with Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsey.

With James Morrison at the helm, the Midlands side can start to build themselves up again, with a slew of personnel changes likely to be necessary at first-team level.

Indeed, the sale of 23-year-old Tom Fellows is still likely to hurt the Baggies, with the struggling side still trying to fill the void left by young Tom Fellows a year ago.

Why Fellowes remains a big miss for the Baggies

Fellows, who was named West Brom’s Young Player of the Year in both the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, became a true shining light after breaking through the youth ranks, although his absence was still keenly felt.

Last season in particular was a real breakout year for the Birmingham-born winger, who started all 35 games in the Championship, scoring four goals and providing 14 assists.

Arguably the creative center of the Hawthorns, Fellows created 13 ‘big chances’ in total, averaged 1.4 key passes per game, recorded an impressive return considering he only lost the ball an average of 7.4 times, and boasted an impressive passing accuracy of 87%.

For comparison, no player in the Baggies team reached double figures for assists in 2025/26, with Mikey Johnston leading the way in this regard with nine assists.

The former Celtic man also led the club in terms of ‘big chances’ created (11) and key passes per game (1.6), although he was only ahead of Fellows in the latter metric.

Johnston’s own future is currently up for debate, with the Baggies previously forced to sell Fellows to Southampton in an £8m deal to comply with PSR regulations.

Although Morrison and his team were finally able to sign a promising winger on their own transfer this summer, it must be said that it proved to be a necessary but frustrating sale.

West Brom could sign biggest talent since Fellows ahead of Ipswich

As reported earlier this week, West Brom are just one of the clubs that have registered an interest in Huddersfield Town sensation Cameron Assia, suggesting talks are taking place over a potential transfer.

As well as Southampton and Sheffield United, Ipswich are also on the list, as are Celtic and Rangers, with Assia set to sign for just £500,000 after receiving a 12-month contract extension.

Still only 21 years old, the quick-footed talent has received rave reviews after a promising breakout season in League One, and his potential is so great that he has been compared to Manchester City star Jeremy Doku.

It wasn’t an easy path for this young player to reach this level. Asia was released by Derby County in 2023 and did not join the Terriers until April 2024, initially lining up with the club’s ‘B’ team.

While there is plenty to be excited about, as evidenced by the level of interest in him, he will have to bide his time as he has only started four league games in 2025/26.

Typically placed on the left side but also comfortable in the center or right side, the Assia is certainly as versatile as the Fellows, yet boasts a reassuring end product to match.

In fact, despite only appearing in 21 league games this season and averaging 32 minutes per game, he definitely made the most of his chances, scoring three goals and assisting each.

This is not far off from Fellows’ own record in 2023/24, when he only registered two assists the year before, when he was on loan in League Two with Crawley Town.

He’s definitely grown since then, and there’s no reason why the Doc-esque Assia can’t enjoy a similar rise. There’s a lot to like about his fearless dribbling skills and knack for cutting in with his right foot.

As was the case before Fellowes’ departure a year ago, clubs are lining up to sign the English player from Huddersfield and the Baggies need to ensure they are at the front of the queue.

Of course, a team like Ipswich could tempt Asia with the prospect of Premier League football, but West Brom could offer a clear pathway and perhaps more realistic game time in the second tier.

This could be a truly exciting signing for Morrison’s side, who are looking to sign what could be their biggest talent since Fellows after a boring season at the Hawthorns.