Worth more than Armstrong: West Brom have struck gold with star who cost £0
da bwin： West Bromwich Albion supporters will be hoping for a return to winning ways this coming weekend in the Championship when second-tier underdogs Oxford United travel to the Hawthorns.
da betcris： Whilst a new appointment for the U’s has worked visible wonders – with Gary Rowett catapulting Oxford up to 16th since taking over on Boxing Day – Tony Mowbray’s appointment towards the start of 2025 hasn’t quite been as smooth with just one league victory picked up in February.
The 61-year-old is already testing the Baggies masses, with their grip on a final playoff spot suddenly looking weaker, but he does have the firepower of Adam Armstrong to now fall back on to try and put together a positive patch of form.
Armstrong's EFL heroics
The deadline day pick up of Armstrong on loan from Southampton was arguably the most jaw-dropping deal that took place in the second tier at the death, considering the 28-year-old’s previous explosive form in the EFL’s elite league.
After all, without the former Blackburn Rovers striker’s heroics last campaign, the Saints might well have come up short in the promotion race, with Armstrong firing home a potent 24 strikes to play a huge part in his parent side leaping back up to the Premier League.
Alongside these glittering numbers on the South Coast, Armstrong and Mowbray have also worked together to devastating effect in the past at Ewood Park, with all of the slick attacker’s 64 strikes for the Riversiders coming when he was positioned at the helm.
Therefore, it would have been a no-brainer decision to get him in through the door, as Armstrong already has one goal next to his name from three Baggies appearances, although a couple of blanks fired across West Brom’s recent dip in form will worry some.
Still, there will be an expectation that the 28-year-old can conjure up his Blackburn best in time, with the once £15m forward licking his lips at the prospect of working alongside this assist king in the West Midlands, who is now worth more than his past price-tag.
The West Brom star who's worth more than Armstrong
Mowbray would have been glad he had this star at his immediate disposal when arriving back onto the scene, considering 12-goal ace Josh Maja remains sidelined through injury.
Luckily, even as transfer rumours kicked into gear on deadline day, homegrown winger Tom Fellows remained at the Hawthorns, with the 21-year-old potentially the perfect player to complement Armstrong’s deadliness.
Fellows’ league numbers (24/25)
Stat – per 90 mins*
Fellows
Games played
32
Games started
27
Goals scored
2
Assists
11
Touches*
27.7
Big chances missed
6
Big chances created
10
Stats by Sofascore
Looking at the table above, it’s clear to see why a number of Premier League outfits were keeping a close eye on the Solihull-born winger during the winter window, with a hefty total of 11 assists coming his way from 32 Championship contests, despite only averaging a low 27.7 touches per match.
When he was still fit, Maja was in dreamland working alongside the Solihull-born sensation, knowing that Fellows only needed a moment’s notice to fashion him a chance that was then regularly put away.
Therefore, he could be an ideal partner for Armstrong to recapture his goalscoring mojo, with the Baggies breathing a big sigh of relief that their £20m-rated man didn’t up and leave for Everton. Equally, that £20m valuation places him ahead of Armstrong, who is deemed to be worth £13m, according to Transfermarkt.
They will likely have to fend off more interest coming their way, especially if Fellows’ ongoing goals and assists see promotion become a reality, but in the short-term, the Toffees target and Armstrong could really spark up an exciting connection.
Having cost the club nothing after coming through the Baggies academy, Fellows’ rise will be even more of a joy to behold for supporters at the Hawthorns, with a hope the “unbelievable” ace – as he has been labelled by fellow teammate Karlan Grant – can guide Mowbray’s men up a division despite their sometimes inconsistent displays.
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