Corberan could have West Brom's next Fellows in “bright” 18y/o starlet

Corberan could have West Brom’s next Fellows in “bright” 18y/o starlet

West Bromwich Albion made it three games on the spin without defeat in the Championship by beating Cardiff City 2-0 on Tuesday night, with young homegrown product Tom Fellows starring again.

Fellows would assist the opening goal for the Baggies within the first minute, the breakout 20-year-old star bombing down the wing from the get-go before playing it into the path of new recruit Mikey Johnston to fire home.

Endearing himself to the West Brom faithful with two goals and one assist since making the leap from the youth set-up this campaign, Carlos Corberan will long for more top talents to emerge from the U21s in the same vein as Fellows.

The Spanish boss could well stumble across another exciting winger similar to the Baggies number 31 in one teenage whizz, who could well be knocking on the door for first-team opportunities here and there soon.

Akeel Higgins’ numbers at youth level

Predominantly playing down the right wing for the U21s this season – the same position which Fellows now excels from in the senior fold at the Hawthorns – 18-year-old Akeel Higgins is exciting those at West Brom with what he could go on and do for the first team down the line.

Scoring one goal and picking up a solitary assist this campaign from 12 appearances in the Premier League 2, Higgins’ overall total for the Baggies at U21 level stands at ten goals and three assists from three seasons.

This impressive form in the youth side resulted in Higgins being given a 45-minute run-out for West Brom in the FA Cup versus Aldershot Town, playing up top in place of Daryl Dike on a proud day for the teenage starlet.

Described as being a “bright” attacker by U21s head coach Richard Beale when first breaking onto the scene with the U18s – which saw Higgins net three goals in just eight games during the 2022-23 season – the next obstacle for the right winger to overcome will be cutting his teeth in the first-team fold.

Higgins will look towards Fellows and how effortless he has made that transition look this campaign as a comfort, aiming to follow in the 20-year-old’s footsteps when the right time comes.

Fellows’ youth record

Fellows was also a wide-eyed teenager attempting to make it at the Hawthorns not too long ago, despite now being a regular first-teamer under Corberan.

The West Brom number 31 boasts similar numbers to that of Higgins when you compare the two at youth level, Fellows bagging just one more goal than the 18-year-old has next to his name currently during his final full campaign at Premier League 2 level.

Fellows’ numbers at youth level

Season

Games played

Goals

Assists

2022-23

3

0

1

2021-22

19

2

4

2020-21

15

5

6

2019-20

12

2

3

2018-19

3

1

0

Stats via Sofascore

Higgins will hope the similarities continue when he attempts to make the tricky jump up to the senior side in the near future, aiming to seamlessly fit in amongst the likes of Alex Mowatt and Darnell Furlong like Fellows has pulled off smoothly.

Onto 18 appearances this season now, Fellows will just keep plugging along and impressing Corberan to ensure he remains in the Spaniard’s starting eleven plans.

Higgins will have major aspirations in his mind of being the next young star to make the grade at the Hawthorns, but he will know that he needs to remain patient as the Baggies focus on winning promotion up to the Premier League with the stars already present in the senior side.