Four new West Brom transfers: Premier League deal completed; £17m Southampton, Ipswich & Millwall exits agreed
West Bromwich Albion are in the process of completing three significant sales to Championship rivals, while one new signing will be finalised imminently.
The Baggies are in for a very busy end to the summer transfer window as deals are advanced with Southampton and Millwall, while others have been completed with Ipswich Town and AFC Bournemouth. Replacements are expected to be signed for all three leaving, with Ryan Mason expected to oversee a dramatic changes to his squad in the coming days.
It’s been a decent start to the new season as West Brom have won two of their first three Championship matches, drawing the other. There has been a lot going on behind the scenes, though, as Albion have had to sell to meet profit and sustainability quotas, while there are several areas of the squad Mason wanted to address.
West Brom green-light £17m trio of transfers
Kicking off with the outgoing business, and West Brom are about to raise around £17 million if three ongoing deals are completed. Several of Albion’s players have been subject to transfer interest this summer and now three players are set to leave for Championship rivals.
Tom Fellows to Southampton is the most significant of the three. The Baggies academy product has been on Saints’ radar for quite some time and now widespread reports - including from our sister publication, the Express & Star - suggest a deal in the region of £10 million is being finalised.
West Brom are understood to have turned down a similar offer in the past but Southampton are finally to land their long-term target. The sales of Tyler Dibling to Everton and Mateus Fernandes to West Ham United have given Southampton the scope to swoop for Fellows.
Darnell Furlong is also on his way out of The Hawthorns as Ipswich Town have announced his acquisition. The Telegraph reports the deal is worth around £3.5 million, rising to £4 million if the Tractor Boys are promoted to the Premier League.
The right-back, a long throw specialist, has been a regular starter for West Brom for the past six seasons but the fee offered was too good to turn down. Furlong is also into the final two years of his contract and he turns 30 this October, so it’s unlikely Albion would have been able to rake in anywhere near as much in the future.
The final sale won’t have as much of an immediate blow on the squad, but it’s still impactful. Birmingham World understands that defender Caleb Taylor, an Albion player since the age of nine, is closing in on a £3 million move to Millwall.
Taylor has spent the past three years developing with loans to Cheltenham Town, Bolton Wanderers and Wycombe Wanderers. There was a feeling he could break through into the West Brom first team at some stage, but Millwall’s offer for the central defender met Albion’s valuation.
West Brom announce signing from Bournemouth
Onto the incoming, and Albion have now confirmed the acquisition of AFC Bournemouth defender Chris Mepham. As revealed by Fabrizio Romano on Wednesday, West Brom have been successful with a bid to sign the centre-back on a permanent deal.
Mepham, 49 times a senior Wales international, has been in and out of Bournemouth’s starting lineup ever since he joined. His best season was arguably 2022/23 as he racked up 2,198 minutes in 26 Premier League appearances, helping the Cherries to a respectable 15th-placed finish.
In total, Mepham, who is still in his prime years, has played 61 times in the Premier League. The centre-back, who can also play on either side as a full-back if required, has also racked up 127 appearances in the Championship.