Brighton to 'revisit' Sunderland transfer deal amid £20m West Brom alternative claim - reports
Tommy Watson was heavily linked with the Seagulls in the latter stages of the January transfer window.
Brighton and Hove Albion are planning to “revisit” a deal for Sunderland winger Tommy Watson in the summer transfer window, according to reports.
The teenager was the subject of widespread speculation on deadline day, with the Seagulls pushing hard to prise him away from the Stadium of Light in a big money deal. For their part, however, the Black Cats were reluctant to sell their academy graduate without bringing in a suitable replacement to aid them in their looming push for promotion, and after efforts to sign Simon Adingra from Albion and Kasey McAteer from Leicester City proved fruitless, they opted to dig their heels in and keep Watson on Wearside for the time being.
But Brighton are set to rekindle their interest in the wide man at the end of the season, according to talkSPORT. An update from the outlet reads: “Brighton plan to revisit their interest in Sunderland teen sensation Tommy Watson in the summer. The Seagulls spent all of transfer deadline day trying to negotiate with the Black Cats over a deal for 18-year-old Watson.
“England under-18 international Watson was prepared to travel to the south coast for a medical. But Sunderland were reluctant to let Watson go without sourcing a replacement after Brighton’s Simon Adingra rejected a potential swap deal.”
Watson currently has 18 months left on his contract at the Stadium of Light, and at this stage it is unclear as to whether he will sign an extension or not. The Sunderland starlet may not be the only Championship talent on Brighton’s radar, however. According to online publication TEAMtalk, Albion are in the running to sign West Brom winger Tom Fellows, who has caught the eye at the Hawthorns this season.
It is understood that both the Seagulls and Everton are keeping tabs on the 21-year-old, and could look to launch rival bids for him during the summer transfer window. Reports from elsewhere suggest that it could take up to £20 million to lure the Baggies into a sale, with Fellows under contract in the midlands until 2027.
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Back on Wearside, Watson has been sidelined with knee and ankle injuries since December, but is expected to return to action this month, and head coach Regis Le Bris has been quick to emphasise how important his - and a number of his injured teammates’ - comeback can be over the remaining months of the campaign.
Speaking in a press conference, the Frenchman said: “I think for us, our main recruitment is still in the team. Ian Poveda for example, was back at Middlesbrough and Salis Abdul Samed was involved today. We will have Romaine Mundle back involved a little bit later, Alan Browne, and then Tommy [Watson]. So we have many talented players in this team and as I have explained before, you have to trust your players before you can talk about recruitment outside. You have to support them when it's difficult and help them to perform at their highest level.
"We did not have too many gaps [in the squad]. These players are learning, growing together, living many experiences. This team has a big margin [to grow] so it's now a question of how quickly we can do it in this league that is so tough."
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