Evan Ferguson F Roma (loan from Brighton) b.2004

[Razors left peg]

Part of the problem for Ferguson will be his wages, and it was likely an issue in January too. Clubs that would start him every week can't afford him, clubs that can afford him are ones where he'll have a lot of competition for his place.

Just looking at January - the main options seemed to be staying at Brighton (which I think we'd all have been disappointed with at the time), going to Leverkusen where he'd have been competing with Schick and Boniface and probably again wouldn't have played, or going to West Ham who had a striker shortage for February and March. I can see why his advisors might have looked at those options and picked West Ham.

I can see the same issue coming up in the summer - what club will be able to afford to pay 50k+ a week for a 20 year old who hasn't done anything of note for 18 months and will take him as a starting striker? Ferguson can't easily go the Parrott route, he's simply out of range for the likes of Excelsior or AZ.

My ideal scenario is one Ive said before, Sporting Lisbon. They will be selling Goykeres, Harder is the back up there and is young but hes not on Fergusons level. I could see another season long loan happening

[Jolly Red Giant]

Part of the problem for Ferguson will be his wages, and it was likely an issue in January too. Clubs that would start him every week can't afford him, clubs that can afford him are ones where he'll have a lot of competition for his place.

Just looking at January - the main options seemed to be staying at Brighton (which I think we'd all have been disappointed with at the time), going to Leverkusen where he'd have been competing with Schick and Boniface and probably again wouldn't have played, or going to West Ham who had a striker shortage for February and March. I can see why his advisors might have looked at those options and picked West Ham.

I can see the same issue coming up in the summer - what club will be able to afford to pay 50k+ a week for a 20 year old who hasn't done anything of note for 18 months and will take him as a starting striker? Ferguson can't easily go the Parrott route, he's simply out of range for the likes of Excelsior or AZ.
Ferguson is reported to be on £30K a week - not remotely outlandish for a striker in the PL. West Ham were reputed to have paid £4m loan fee and cover his wages for the five month loan.

Personally I think that Ferguson is ideally suited for the PL - but he needs to be in a team that utilises his ability. He needs to be playing as a number 9 with people playing through balls he can run onto. He is excellent at receiving the ball on the half turn in the channels and turning looking to shoot. He is very good at adjusting to the flight of the ball and is agile enough to take advantage of it. He is also very good at pressing high up the pitch and if others join him in the press it can be very effective. He is also very good with his head. He needs to be played in that forward role - either as a lone striker or with another playing off him. Outside of the PL I would pick either Italy or Germany - but if Brighton sell Pedro (which is distinctly possible) - then it is likely that Ferguson will replace him in the Brighton team.

[Olé Olé]

Fullkrug on ahead of Ferguson there for West Ham at HT and scores. Big few months ahead.

[Eirambler]

More likely a quiet few months I'd suggest. Finish out the season, have a break, then get a good pre-season and hopefully come back stronger next year. In a way I'd understand if he asked to skip the June internationals to get a proper break ahead of what will be a big pre-season for him.

[Razors left peg]

Would the rules allow him to play for Brighton if his loan was canceled? Seems pointless hanging around at West Ham now

[rebelmusic]

Would need to be a mutual agreement and I'd imagine Brighton are happy to have his wages being paid elsewhere. It's Q4 for football clubs so they'll save money wherever they can for the summer window.

I'd agree with ER. This season is done. Even if he gets a goal at some random point between now and mid-may this loan has been a disaster.

[Olé Olé]

If he doesn't come on here he will have played 159mins in 11 games for West Ham and none in the last 3. This is turning out rather pointless.

[rebelmusic]

If he doesn't come on here he will have played 159mins in 11 games for West Ham and none in the last 3. This is turning out rather pointless.

Looks like he's not coming on. Soooo frustrating. I can only imagine how he feels himself

[Olé Olé]

Looks like he's not coming on. Soooo frustrating. I can only imagine how he feels himself
Came on on 86mins.

[Eirambler]

And, while it was hopefully nothing to do with him, they managed to concede a late equaliser to - of all teams - Southampton while he was on the field.

[rebelmusic]

And, while it was hopefully nothing to do with him, they managed to concede a late equaliser to - of all teams - Southampton while he was on the field.

He was the first player passed on the run into the goal. I don't blame him, but he looked like he couldn't be bothered while he was on

[Eirambler]

https://www.footballinsider247.com/david-moyes-backs-himself-to-transform-evan-fergusons-career-at-everton/

Pete O'Rourke tends to be one of the more respectable transfer reporters out there.

[OMTY]

Brighton's win last night means they are in pole position to qualify for Conference league next year if Chelsea do the expected and win it out this year. Ferguson could be kept around for squad depth in that case.

[Eirambler]

For some reason Chelsea also have to finish exactly 7th in the league for 8th to get the European spot. I have no idea why they have to finish 7th specifically, but apparently they do.

[seanfhear]

For some reason Chelsea also have to finish exactly 7th in the league for 8th to get the European spot. I have no idea why they have to finish 7th specifically, but apparently they do.
It's getting more and more like the Eurovision Song Contest every year ~ ~ How many English teams get in to Europe now ? ( one way or another )

Mind you for all sorts of political reasons, the Uk can't win the, Eurovision Song Contest ~ ~ Europe seems to be happy enough to have a rake of English teams in European competitions ~ ~ The English teams must be good money-spinners all the same !

[elatedscum]

For some reason Chelsea also have to finish exactly 7th in the league for 8th to get the European spot. I have no idea why they have to finish 7th specifically, but apparently they do.

Premier League has to have one team in the tournament. With Palace winning the cup, they take the Europa league slot and Conference moves from 8th (if city had won) to 7th. If Forest or whoever finish 7th, they get the place. However if Chelsea come 7th - they qualify. But if they also win the tournament, they also qualify for the Europa league which is a higher tournament, this means England wouldn’t have a representative in the conference league, so the 8th team gets it instead.

[Eirambler]

Not on the West Ham bench today as a sorry loan spell comes to an end.

[rebelmusic]

Something really stinks about this whole loan deal. I don't think anyone could argue that he was given a chance to make an impact. I read that Brighton are fuming about it and West Ham are unlikely to get any loan deals from them again anytime soon. Which is a bit cracked considering they have one of the best academies in the UK.

Really hope he gets a decent move somewhere that he's valued during the summer. And that he treats pre-season with all the priority that it needs.

[Eirambler]

I have to say, based on what I've seen of him this season, I wouldn't have picked him any more often than West Ham did. He has looked well off his best when he has played, including for Ireland - despite the goal against Bulgaria.

West Ham clearly signed him to cover a short term injury situation, once the situation was over he was surplus to requirements. Unless he made a big early impression that was always how it was likely to be. If Brighton didn't want that, they shouldn't have loaned him there.

[Razors left peg]

https://www.instagram.com/p/DLZjZatNClP/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

This is bit more of what you want to see. Evan and Jake O'Brien working together with a personal trainer before preseason starts

[The Fly]

Joao Pedro is off to Chelsea for £50m, so Ferguson’s very much returning to a different dynamic at Brighton now.

[Jolly Red Giant]

Joao Pedro is off to Chelsea for £50m, so Ferguson’s very much returning to a different dynamic at Brighton now.
It was always a probability that Pedro would leave.

The big question is whether Hurzeler will utilise Ferguson properly - or whether he will prioritise the 18 year-old kid they bought from Greece for £35m

[The Fly]

It was always a probability that Pedro would leave.

The big question is whether Hurzeler will utilise Ferguson properly - or whether he will prioritise the 18 year-old kid they bought from Greece for £35m
It’s up to Ferguson to make the manager utilise him properly now. No excuses.

[pineapple stu]

Yeah, this idea that Ferguson's problems of the last 18 months have been because managers haven't used him properly is just nonsense

[elatedscum]

There’s also a 50/50 chance that Brighton sign another striker, a more experienced one to replace Joao Pedro.

[Razors left peg]

Hes still just 20, most our lads barely get near a 1st team by this age. We've been giving 26 year old Kelleher years to go and establish himself. Troy was farting around different lower league clubs at this age before it eventually clicked, when it looked at 1 point that it might not.... so the right situation/manager does matter.

All that being said it still feels like a huge season if he is to go on to be the world class striker I still think he can be

[Jolly Red Giant]

Yeah, this idea that Ferguson's problems of the last 18 months have been because managers haven't used him properly is just nonsense
Ferguson was developing well under RDZ - he played 36 times for Brighton in 23/24 (PL and cup games) before missing the last 10 games with injury (an injury that ruled him out for the first few games of last season).


Hurzeler brought a different formation into the team - and clearly prioritised Pedro, Rutter and Welbeck ahead of Ferguson.


Now Ferguson's development has been derailed a bit - partly because of injuries, partly because of the new manager and partly because of what was a poor decision to go on loan to West Ham. But none of this takes away from how good this kid is.


There’s also a 50/50 chance that Brighton sign another striker, a more experienced one to replace Joao Pedro.
That is a possibility - but good strikers are not easy to find - particularly ones with experience who are good enough for the PL.

I still think that Bloom is not convinced with Hurzeler and I suspect that he isn't going to splash more money on a striker especially after spending £35m on Kostoulas (a 18 year old kid who has played 22 games in the Greek SL). Bloom will want to know where Ferguson fits into things going forward - you don't just discard a player of his ability - good strikers are hard to come by.

[pineapple stu]

so the right situation/manager does matter.
It can matter, sure - but I don't think it's the go-to situation whenever things go badly for one of our players.

He had a really bad loan move at West Ham too, and hasn't been great in his last few Ireland caps either (got a lot of stick on the Luxembourg and Bulgaria match threads here for example), so it's not just one manager mis-using him.

[Jolly Red Giant]

It can matter, sure - but I don't think it's the go-to situation whenever things go badly for one of our players.

He had a really bad loan move at West Ham too, and hasn't been great in his last few Ireland caps either (got a lot of stick on the Luxembourg and Bulgaria match threads here for example), so it's not just one manager mis-using him.
I think that people tend to be more critical of him because of the expectations. Ireland has had some really good strikers over the decades - but Ferguson has the ability and potential to be up there with the best of them (if not be the best).

Now - that does not mean that he doesn't need some sort of a reboot. The recent work with O'Brien is a positive - for both (and I think O'Brien could potentially be a top PL defender). If Hurzeler gets consolidated at Brighton and still refuses to use him properly then a move is the best thing for Ferguson - if Hurzeler does make changes to utilise Ferguson effectively, or gets sacked, then Ferguson could continue to develop at Brighton.

[Razors left peg]

Theres no doubt that Ferguson has to take personal responsibility for how things have gone in the last year or so, but that doesnt negate that other factors would also have a big influence. I like that we are seeing him working out before going back to preseason, he has to hit the ground running and hopefully his injuries are behind him. I do think the injury was a huge factor in why things went a bit pear shaped and the West Ham move was nothing but a disaster, so lets see.

Ekitike is a good example of how a reset can do wonders for a young player. He bombed out of PSG after getting a big move there, he had some mental health issues but he moved to Frankfurt and thrived. Now at 23 hes being liked with a move to all the big clubs again and Frankfurt want a 100 Million quid fee. Hes 3 years older than Ferguson and yet hes considered a young player with huge potential still.

[rebelmusic]

I think what everyone has hoped for is that he'd get a run of 2-3 games where the pressure is a little lower and he regains his confidence. Pre-season friendlies are probably the best place for that over loan moves or anything else. If he's going to be sold I hope it's this side of July.

If he has a solid pre-season I don't see why he wouldn't work his way into any managers thinking. If we wipe away all the noise, Brighton is still one of the most ideal places for him to be relative to fan expectations and the quality of opposition. Anyway, here's to the lad to have a decent season

[elatedscum]

Ekitike is a good example of how a reset can do wonders for a young player. He bombed out of PSG after getting a big move there, he had some mental health issues but he moved to Frankfurt and thrived. Now at 23 hes being liked with a move to all the big clubs again and Frankfurt want a 100 Million quid fee. Hes 3 years older than Ferguson and yet hes considered a young player with huge potential still.

If Ferguson was as quick as Ekitike, he'd be a top 3 striker in the premier league and be worth over £100m. He can hold the ball and link up play, he can head, he's a very natural finisher when confident. (At West Ham, he was taking an extra touch which he couldn't afford and spurning chances he'd normally score).

See his 12th goal here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI-d3lzCkFs (Clip starts at 2.57) - I've seen Evan in the situation probably more than half a dozen times. Virtually every time, he's either shot from outside the box or been caught by defenders or waited for a team mate to overlap, cause he just didn't quite have the pace. It's not like you can't be a great striker without great pace. Harry Kane isn't that quick and he's one the best goal scorers of his generation (Kane, Lewandowski, Salah, Haaland, Mbappe). Saying that, Kane is an absolute freak. Not really the archetype but the exception. On the other hand, at the same age Evan is now, Harry Kane had yet to score a premier league goal (just about, this stat is no longer true in 15 days) - so as people mention, he's still young enough to be anything he could dream of being.

[elatedscum]

Here's a video of Evan's last 20 shots across West Ham, Ireland and Brighton. Gives a decent sense of where he's at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9qs72qk39E

[pineapple stu]

Theres no doubt that Ferguson has to take personal responsibility for how things have gone in the last year or so, but that doesnt negate that other factors would also have a big influence. I like that we are seeing him working out before going back to preseason, he has to hit the ground running and hopefully his injuries are behind him. I do think the injury was a huge factor in why things went a bit pear shaped and the West Ham move was nothing but a disaster, so lets see.
No problems with any of that; all seems quite considered.

What I disagree with in the original post is this idea that if Hurlezer just picked him in his best position, everything would be fine. That's naive in the extreme for me.

The opening weeks of the season will be very interesting.

[seanfhear]

Getting sponsored by Lead Boots wasn't a good idea ! !

[Jolly Red Giant]

What I disagree with in the original post is this idea that if Hurlezer just picked him in his best position, everything would be fine. That's naive in the extreme for me.

When Danny Welbeck goes to bat for Ferguson and calls out Hurzeler's treatment of him, you know that a lot of the responsibility lies with the manager. I think we have all underestimated the impact of the injury on his form last season and the injury likely led to a loss of confidence. The loan to West Ham was a bad idea from Ferguson's perspective - didn't like it from the get-go as I think Potter is a spoofer - but they were willing to pony up a big loan fee as insurance against not having a striker for a relegation battle.

Now - as I said earlier - I do think a reboot is needed. But I do think the kid has a good attitude, works hard and keeps his feet on the ground (and his dad helps with that). Here is hoping he has a good season and takes another step forward in his development.

[Eirambler]

I saw a report suggesting that Brighton would sell him for less than £30m this summer. Obviously it's just a report with no quotes, but if they are actually looking at letting him go for that kind of number it might suggest that the injuries have brought things to a situation where his ceiling is no long what they previously expected it to be.

[rebelmusic]

I read the same article. It definitely would add a "why are they so desperate to sell" tag to his name. At the same time, based on the last 16 months, it's still a fairly high price tag and would be a gamble for any team - purely based on recent form and stats.

[Stuttgart88]

I was out with a Brighton-suppoirting pal on Saturday, a guy who lives and breathes the club. I asked him if there are anly clues or rumours and he said nobody has any idea what's going on.

[Exgrad]

I think the 6 months he was out after surgery, after playing with an injury for months and losing confidence, has floored him. And then he wanted out when he wasn't getting enough minutes at Brighton when he got back fit, the focus was gone. He needs to move on a pemanent and just get a run at things. He could be a relative bargin for someone as no way he is going for anything over 20m.

[Strongbow10]

Brentford is the place for him.

[Eirambler]

But, if you were Brighton and you believed that he still had as high a potential as he had a couple of years ago, you'd most likely loan him to somewhere like the Eredivisie, where an on-form Ferguson would score for fun, and he would rebuild his transfer value.

Brighton are a well run club and if their decision is to cut and run when his stock is at it's lowest, that has to be a concern. They don't get too many transfer decisions wrong.

[Razors left peg]

I was out with a Brighton-suppoirting pal on Saturday, a guy who lives and breathes the club. I asked him if there are anly clues or rumours and he said nobody has any idea what's going on.


Better than hearing that he is well known for hanging around Brighton Pier on a Saturday night with a bottle of buckfast in one hand and some hippy crack in the other!!

[The Fly]

If true, I can’t say I’m hugely surprised. Something’s clearly amiss with him, whether that’s because of injuries and an accompanying loss of confidence, or something else we’re not aware of…or a combination of everything.

This is such an important season for him, whichever club he’s at.

[Kingdom]

Better than hearing that he is well known for hanging around Brighton Pier on a Saturday night with a bottle of buckfast in one hand and some hippy crack in the other!!

You leave Connolly out of this ffs. Move on!

[EalingGreen]

Brentford is the place for him.Brentford have a strict "No Di ckh eads" policy, borrowed from the All Blacks, as it happens. Which means that regardless of how talented/cheap/available a player is, they simply wion't sign him if they think his personality/temperament/professionalism is suspect.

Now I'm NOT saying Ferguson is a D******d (I've no idea about that), but he and Brighton will be aware that even after they've identified a player as a feasible signing, Brentford go very deep into his background - family, former coaches, teammates, friends and associates, even school days - to see whether there are any actual or potential problems. And any doubt, they pull out.

So that if they were interested in EF, they'd need persuading that there is a very good explanation for his recent career decline before they took it any further.

Of course they should be interested in a player of such obvious potential, esp at a price of £28m = huge upside for a sale. Except that Brighton are normally also very diligent about such matters, prompting the question why they're open to (low) offers.

[Kingdom]

Brentford have a strict "No Di ckh eads" policy, borrowed from the All Blacks, as it happens. Which means that regardless of how talented/cheap/available a player is, they simply wion't sign him if they think his personality/temperament/professionalism is suspect.

Now I'm NOT saying Ferguson is a D******d (I've no idea about that), but he and Brighton will be aware that even after they've identified a player as a feasible signing, Brentford go very deep into his background - family, former coaches, teammates, friends and associates, even school days - to see whether there are any actual or potential problems. And any doubt, they pull out.

So that if they were interested in EF, they'd need persuading that there is a very good explanation for his recent career decline before they took it any further.

Of course they should be interested in a player of such obvious potential, esp at a price of £28m = huge upside for a sale. Except that Brighton are normally also very diligent about such matters, prompting the question why they're open to (low) offers.

Which would mean that any appearance in photographs with notable figures connected to Dublin's underworld or similar would not reflect well in such an appraisal, no matter how innocent.

[Razors left peg]

Brentford have a strict "No Di ckh eads" policy, borrowed from the All Blacks, as it happens. Which means that regardless of how talented/cheap/available a player is, they simply wion't sign him if they think his personality/temperament/professionalism is suspect.

Now I'm NOT saying Ferguson is a D******d (I've no idea about that), but he and Brighton will be aware that even after they've identified a player as a feasible signing, Brentford go very deep into his background - family, former coaches, teammates, friends and associates, even school days - to see whether there are any actual or potential problems. And any doubt, they pull out.

So that if they were interested in EF, they'd need persuading that there is a very good explanation for his recent career decline before they took it any further.

Of course they should be interested in a player of such obvious potential, esp at a price of £28m = huge upside for a sale. Except that Brighton are normally also very diligent about such matters, prompting the question why they're open to (low) offers.

Ivan Toney would disagree with you

[EalingGreen]

Which would mean that any appearance in photographs with notable figures connected to Dublin's underworld or similar would not reflect well in such an appraisal, no matter how innocent.Tbf, if there was a (genuinely) innocent explanation, and that was all, then I'm sure they'd look beyond it, but who knows?

Meanwhile, if there's a plausible medical explanation for EF's decline, Brentford have an excellent record in managing such a situation. For example, they signed the injury-prone Scott Hogan for £750k from Rochdale, then after 21 goals in 36 games, sold him for something like £15m to Villa. Also took a very successful punt on Christian Eriksson, when others hesitated. While best of all, they signed a 22 y.o. Dane, Mikkel Damsgaard from Sampdoria for €15m, where he'd been in and out of the team due to finess problems - reports said it was some form of arthritis?

Anyhow, it took him a season or two to get fully fit and adjust to the Prem, but last season he was superb, featuring in all 38 league games and being many fans' choice for POTY, even ahead of Mbuemo and Flekken.

But none of that will count for a damned thing, if there are other doubts over Ferguson.

[EalingGreen]

Ivan Toney would disagree with you

IT had a gambling addiction, not a personality problem, and it never affected his career at Brentford. And after signing him for £10m, they sold him for £40m after scoring 67 goals in 128 league games, 36 of them in the Prem. Now sure, he was never short of self-confidence - eg on the first day after his gambling ban ended, he swaggered into the training ground and announced: "The Big Dog's back!".

But the fact is, as a professional he was an excellent trainer and very popular amongst the players and staff. While Thomas Frank, who's never suffered fools gladly, made him one of his leadership team, even Captain on occasion, meanwhile Gareth Southgate, another manager who values these things highly, gave him his England debut.

Sometimes you have to look beyond all the Social Media guff, as Brentford obviously do.