Two players who have stood out and can help the promotion push at WBA.
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00:00Charlie, let's look at West Bromwich Albion and specifically a player to start with, Tom
00:06Fellows. Now, he's played so many games over the last five years or so for West Bromwich
00:11Albion. He's been a real mainstay at the club, coming from the academy as well. Just touch
00:17on his presence, his understanding of what it means to play for West Brom and how he
00:23gets on in terms of really pushing forward. Obviously, they're on the brink of that sort
00:28of area where they want to be in the upper echelons of the championship and really pushing
00:32towards a future that hopefully is in the top flight.
00:36Yeah, a couple of years ago, kind of breaking through in the academy and Premier League
00:40too and really impressing there and then making his breakthrough into the senior team as well.
00:45Last season and this season especially, I think he's been really impressive out on that
00:48right wing. He can play on the left as well if you want him to, or he can go as a striker
00:52and as an attacking midfielder. I think typically his best position is on the right wing, but
00:57having that versatility is handy, no matter how good a player you are. But then West Brom
01:01have got the full package there in terms of he's got the potential, he's already got the
01:05pace, he's got the technical ability, he can really whip a ball into the box effectively.
01:10He can find the bottom corner if he needs to as well. Obviously, you're not going to
01:14have the Premier League quality at this point, he's still young, but Premier League clubs
01:18have been sniffing around looking at potentially signing him. There have been rumours of bids
01:21from the likes of Everton, Ipswich Town, Southampton over the last 12 months or so. Figures
01:26of around ÂŁ15 million that West Brom have been rumoured to be rejecting. It just shows
01:31how much they value this player and how much you can potentially offer them in the future
01:36as well as now. I think you need someone with that flair, with that positive attitude as
01:40well. Coming from the academy, the care for the football club, kind of subconsciously
01:44as well as consciously I think is really important and Tom Fellows offers all of that in abundance.
01:49And then we look at Adam Armstrong, now obviously a deal that not many fans saw coming. What
01:57sort of attracted that deal, do you feel, for him to sort of drop down a level and go
02:01and obviously had an amazing season, sort of got Southampton straight to the Premier
02:05League really and was fantastic in the play-offs as well. Do you feel maybe the Tony Mowbray
02:09experience was a bit of a pull or the fans, etc, or their sort of goals, because West
02:14Brom have had some great loan players over the years and he's sort of added to the list
02:19of that?
02:20Yeah, I think not many people expected that one on deadline day. Actually carried over
02:24to day after deadline day because all the paperwork and the EFL going home really annoys
02:30supporters. They were just desperately waiting, anxiously waiting, refreshing their phones.
02:33Is he going to sign? He did in the end and then he scored a couple of goals already,
02:37a crucial one for the penalty spot recently to secure a victory over QPR with 10 men.
02:41That was so important. But it's just that goal scoring threat overall, having a proper
02:46number nine in behind who can make those runs, who's got that instinctive finishing. Obviously
02:51with Josh Madger being injured, Daryl Dekay as well, Carlin Grant playing as an auxiliary
02:55striker at times, John Swift, Jed Wallace. They've all been trying to fill in, but you
03:00can't quite replicate a proper number nine, especially one as experienced and of championship
03:06calibre as Armstrong is. It's been so, so important. I think wrapping up a permanent
03:10deal for him in the summer could be a good way forward for West Brom. It just depends
03:15on salary expectations. Of course, with Southampton being relegated most likely anyway to the
03:21championship, surely they'd want to utilise someone like Armstrong who's already proven
03:26for them at that level. But I think looking at the current picture, just having him for
03:32the end of this season, trying to secure that top six place, a place that could make a big
03:36difference. And then of course, in the playoffs as well, last year he scored three goals in
03:41those matches. He can deliver on the big stage, maybe not necessarily the Premier League,
03:45but at this level he certainly can. I think a really important signing for the Baggies.