West Bromwich Albion always knew, that regardless of what transpired on transfer deadline day, that they would be fine progressing forward in the Championship.
Losing the likes of Cedric Kipre, Okay Yokuslu, Conor Townsend and Brandon Thomas-Asante hadn't dramatically impacted the team spirit at the Hawthorns whatsoever, with the Baggies just soldiering on without their former star players, knowing that they're in safe hands with Carlos Corberan at the helm.
The late interest in Tom Fellows
There was a real concern in the air that Tom Fellows was going to be the next to jump ship late on in the transfer window.
Indeed, there was talk that Ipswich Town and Southampton were enamoured by the tricky winger after a bright start to the new campaign and could have made late moves.
Fortunately, the young Baggie stayed put in the Midlands and West Brom live to tell another tale.
Even if the homegrown talent had exited the building, West Brom would have survived and could well have given another youngster a chance in the senior spotlight down the right wing instead.
Akeel Higgins' numbers at youth level
Putting pen to paper on a professional deal at the West Midlands club just last month, 19-year-old Akeel Higgins could be the next rising star to make the cut in the men's team soon like Fellows.
The Birmingham-born teenager has impressed those in West Brom circles with his output the last two seasons playing in the Premier League 2, with the 22/23 campaign at this youth level even seeing him play alongside the now-established first-team presence before his breakthrough moment came about.
Higgins bagged four goals and picked up two assists from 12 league outings that campaign, before finding his minutes had been increased for the youthful Baggies the season after, with eight more appearances handed to him.
In total, the 19-year-old has posted five goals and four assists from 34 total contests for the U21s, with Higgins now itching to shine in the senior team too, away from the comforts of youth football.
He has made the substitutes bench once or twice under Corberan and has even made one professional appearance for his boyhood club in the FA Cup when he was given a 45-minute run-out against Aldershot Town last season.
Higgins will have to remain patient and hope he can excel in making the step-up soon, with Fellows never looking back when he shot up to the senior fold.
How Higgins could become the next Fellows
Fellows was equally known to be a top performer at Premier League 2 level before going on to become a top performer in the Championship. Ineed, he registered eerily similar numbers for the U21s when compared with Higgins.
The West Brom number 31 tallied up two goals and five assists from 26 games for the U21s, with Higgins actually bettering Fellows' output by two in the same age bracket.
24/25 (first team)
3
0
3
23/24 (first team)
36
5
4
23/24 (U21s)
1
0
0
22/23 (U21s)
3
0
1
21/22 (U21s)
19
2
4
Of course, being able to make that leap into the first-team and make it look effortless after playing only youth football is a tricky one to traverse, but Fellows took to the pressures of Championship football like a duck to water last campaign, with five goals and four assists managed in all competitions under Corberan's watchful eye.
The youngster did benefit from a loan spell away at Crawley Town during his development in the U21 structure, with Higgins perhaps looking for a formative stint away from the club lower down the EFL soon, to also prove himself.
This campaign to date, Fellows' importance to the cause has only increased, with three assists managed already this campaign from just three league matches, as the 21-year-old continues to grow in confidence and stature in the men's set-up.
Higgins will want to follow his teammate's upward trajectory, as the Baggies look to uncover more talents in their Academy similar to Fellows, to ensure the future is bright at the West Midlands outfit.
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