Everton ‘have already agreed summer signing’ – ‘it will get done’
Everton are prepared to complete the signing of West Brom star Tom Fellows in the summer after reaching an agreement in the January window.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that the Toffees plan to reignite the deal come the end of the season.
Brown explained that the hard work involved in the deal has already been done, and expects summer talks to be a formality before they agree a deal.
This comes after Football Insider exclusively revealed on 7 February that an agreement had been reached with Fellows on deadline day, but the two clubs could not finalise a fee.
The 21-year-old was scheduled to undergo a medical at Finch Farm ahead of the second half of the season, but no deal could be reached.
David Moyes was keen to strengthen his squad more than they were capable of in January, but plans are now being put in place for the summer window.
Everton to sign Tom Fellows after January transfer collapsed
Fellows is regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in the Championship and currently leads the league in assists with 10 from 30 games so far.
Brown, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United and worked closely with Moyes during his time at West Ham, explained that the Toffees will get the deal done after the boss “gave the go-ahead.”
“Yeah, I expect they’ll get that one done,” he told Football Insider.
“I don’t know how far off they were in terms of the agreement with West Brom.
“But given that Everton have already done all the hard work to get to the stage they were at in January, where they agreed terms with the player, they’re not going to let it go.
“It seems most of the talks have already taken place, so it will be a case of picking up where they left off.
“They’ll still have to agree on a fee with West Brom, that’s where the stumbling block was, but those types of deals are usually easier to do in the summer.
“But I expect they’ll still want to bring him in because he’s an exciting young player and one Moyesey has obviously given the go-ahead to.”
David Moyes plans to sign multiple British rising stars
Fellows’ arrival should kickstart the beginning of a new transfer strategy at Goodison Park, with Moyes spearheading a drive to recruit young, British talent.
Football Insider revealed on 9 February that the boss has implemented a new recruitment plan with a focus on the Championship after finding success with deals in the past.
During his first spell at Everton, Moyes recruited the likes of Tim Cahill and Phil Jagielka from the second tier, both of whom became stars on Merseyside.
Meanwhile, his time at West Ham saw the arrival of Jarrod Bowen, who has since helped them lift the Europa Conference League and become a hero at the London Stadium.
