Forget Mubama: Southampton’s £8m man must leave in January.

Southampton missed an important opportunity to climb into the Championship’s automatic promotion positions after being held to a 1-1 draw by West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on Tuesday evening.

It was a frustrating result for Tonda Eckert’s side, particularly considering their ambitions of securing an immediate return to the Premier League. However, the performance also raised questions about several players, with one expensive summer signing attracting particular attention.

The opening 45 minutes were arguably Southampton’s poorest display of the campaign, at least comparable to their disappointing first-half performance against Watford on the opening weekend.

The Saints struggled to compete with James Morrison’s West Brom side, who controlled proceedings and looked considerably more dangerous in possession. Southampton failed to register a single attempt on target before the interval, highlighting their difficulties in creating meaningful attacking opportunities.

Although Eckert had most of his preferred starting options available, the German coach was still without three important players for the trip to the Midlands.

Cyle Larin, Caspar Jander and Leo Scienza were all unavailable, leaving Southampton without some of their most influential performers.

The hosts entered the contest sitting one position and one point above Southampton in the Championship standings, making the encounter particularly important for both teams.

Southampton were fortunate to reach half-time just one goal behind, with Isaac Price converting a penalty to give West Brom a deserved advantage.

Southampton improve after the interval but fail to find winner

The visitors returned from the dressing room looking like a completely different team, showing considerably more attacking purpose and determination.

Their improvement quickly produced an equaliser, with Sam Edozie finding the net just eight minutes into the second half.

The winger had replaced the unavailable Scienza in the starting lineup and took advantage of Kuryu Matsuki’s excellent header across the goal to finish from close range.

The equaliser gave Southampton renewed belief, and both teams subsequently created opportunities as the match became increasingly open.

However, neither side managed to find a decisive second goal.

Substitute Lewis Dobbin came particularly close to securing all three points for the visitors after finding himself through on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Unfortunately for Southampton, the forward directed his effort straight at the goalkeeper, allowing West Brom to escape without conceding another goal.

Dobbin had entered the contest in the 71st minute, replacing Divin Mubama, who had been handed his first Championship start for the Saints.

The Manchester City loanee struggled to make a meaningful contribution during his time on the pitch and once again demonstrated why he has found opportunities difficult to secure this season.

At 22, Mubama still has time to develop, but his current performances have not convinced that he can offer the same quality as the injured Larin or former Saints striker Ross Stewart, who departed during the summer.

His difficult evening at The Hawthorns highlighted the difference between Southampton’s available attacking options.

Nevertheless, Mubama is not the only Southampton player whose future should be attracting attention as the January transfer window approaches.

Tom Fellows is struggling to convince Tonda Eckert

When Southampton completed the signing of Tom Fellows from West Brom last summer, there was considerable excitement among supporters about what the winger could bring to St Mary’s.

The deal initially involved an £8 million fee, with the overall reported package reaching approximately £10 million.

Fellows had established himself as an exciting attacking player during his time at The Hawthorns, and his performances had attracted considerable attention.

However, his Southampton career has not developed as many expected.

The English winger enjoyed regular opportunities under former manager Will Still, but his situation has changed considerably since Eckert took charge.

The German coach does not appear to view Fellows as an important part of his preferred attacking setup, and his recent team selections have provided further evidence of that.

Despite being without Scienza for Tuesday’s meeting with West Brom, Eckert decided to start Edozie instead.

That decision was particularly interesting because Edozie had submitted a transfer request on deadline day, yet he was still preferred to Fellows.

The winger’s lack of opportunities has become increasingly difficult to ignore.

Fellows’ Southampton appearances tell a worrying story

Fellows’ recent involvement provides a clear indication of how his position within the squad has changed.

The 23-year-old has started just one of Southampton’s previous six Championship fixtures, and he was substituted at half-time during that appearance.

Furthermore, he was left as an unused substitute in four of those six matches.

His opportunity against West Brom was equally limited, with Eckert introducing him for only two minutes plus stoppage time.

That brief appearance offered little opportunity to influence the outcome, although the winger struggled to make the most of the limited time available.

His involvement included attempting a step-over before delivering a cross, making an unsuccessful run inside and losing possession, before failing to control a long pass towards the corner of the pitch.

It was hardly the sort of contribution that would convince Eckert to give him more regular opportunities.

Fellows has now made 53 appearances for Southampton, recording eight assists.

However, his goalscoring record remains disappointing considering the expectations surrounding his arrival.

He failed to score throughout his debut season at St Mary’s, despite registering six Championship assists.

His first Southampton goal eventually arrived in August 2026 during the club’s impressive 5-1 victory over Millwall.

Although that moment offered encouragement, his overall contribution has remained below expectations.

January departure could benefit Southampton and Fellows

Fellows’ situation is becoming increasingly difficult to defend when considering the transfer fee Southampton invested in him.

The winger arrived with an impressive reputation after finishing the 2024/25 Championship campaign as the division’s leading assist provider, recording 14 assists for West Brom.

His previous experience also included the disappointment of losing the Championship play-off semi-final against Southampton in May 2024.

Following his impressive performances, the Saints believed they had secured an exciting attacking addition who could help their promotion ambitions.

However, Eckert’s preferred attacking options appear to have changed the situation.

Matsuki is currently enjoying excellent form in front of goal and looks certain to retain his starting position, while Scienza remains an important attacking option when available.

Edozie has also demonstrated that he can make an impact when given opportunities.

Fellows, meanwhile, appears to be falling further down the pecking order.

His lack of composure in important attacking situations and inconsistent final delivery may explain why Eckert has been reluctant to trust him with regular minutes.

After spending a year in charge, the Southampton manager has had sufficient time to assess the squad and determine which players suit his tactical approach.

The evidence suggests that Fellows is not currently among his preferred attacking options.

A January departure could therefore represent the most sensible solution for everyone involved.

Southampton would have an opportunity to bring in another winger who better suits Eckert’s requirements, while Fellows could find a club where he would receive more consistent playing time.

For a player who cost approximately £8 million initially, his current situation is far from ideal.

Unless something changes significantly over the coming weeks, Southampton may need to accept that their investment in Fellows has not worked out as planned.