Always sad when 'one of own' leaves

It's always sad for fans when 'one of their own' leaves but in the age of profit and sustainability rules (PSR), Albion have waved goodbye to two young men who've been part of the club since the under-10s team.

Now both 22, Caleb Taylor and Tom Fellows are departing because money made from sales of Academy products is pure profit and goes on the books now, whereas purchases can be spread across the length of contracts.

That massively helps the club's ongoing PSR challenge, which chairman Shilen Patel reminded supporters about in an open letter earlier this summer, but it also allows the club to reinvest in multiple areas of the squad.

Taylor never started a Championship game, making just four substitute appearances, but he did prove his EFL potential on loan with Cheltenham and Wycombe.

The Baggies have pocketed £2.5m for the giant defender and, with lots of competition in front of him in his position, that looks to be solid business.

His exit has been very quickly followed by the £1.2m arrival of Alfie Gilchrist, who does have second tier experience on loan at Sheffield United and was also a captain at youth level with Chelsea. They've also signed Wales international Chris Mepham for a similar fee.

There's been a lot more debate regarding the fee for Fellows. The Longbridge lad's deal could rise to £10m and I must admit I was surprised when I first saw that figure, but there are factors to take into consideration.

First, I understand this is the highest bid Albion have received for the England Under-21 winger.

Bids rejected last summer were lower and didn't include a sell-on clause. Rumours of a £15m bid from Everton in January were just not true.

Secondly, Southampton have been the only club to submit a bid. There was no bidding war.

A lot of comparisons have been made with deals for other attacking Championship players, who've left their clubs this summer but Tyler Dibling and Omari Hutchinson, to name just two, were wanted by current Premier League teams and already have experience in the top flight - only for one season, but their talents still stood out in struggling sides.

Albion's two-time Young Player of the Year Fellows dazzled with his dribbling skills and racked up a joint-high 14 assists in the Championship in 2024-25 but only four came after top-scorer Josh Maja suffered a season-ending injury in January.

If the club left it another six months, he would only have a year-and-a-half left on his current contract and only a sharp increase in form would've increased demand for Fellows by the winter window.

However, if he does go on to achieve much greater things, the club has had a 20% sell-on clause inserted into the deal. A similar clause is part of Taylor's transfer to Millwall.

Taking the money now means it can be reinvested immediately, and the Baggies already have plans for it. They're targeting a new winger before Monday's transfer deadline and will have cash to play with as soon as the window re-opens in January.

Gone are the days of Albion legend Tony Brown, my co-commentator on BBC Radio WM, spending their whole career with one club. Unlike 'Bomber', there won't be a statue built of Tom Fellows outside The Hawthorns. But he and Caleb Taylor leave with the well wishes of everyone.

Both are genuinely nice and down-to-earth lads and neither kicked up a fuss about moving, but their departures will leave their boyhood clubs in a much better position to prosper in the future.