Eligibility is neither here nor there. The reason he should play in March is that he's a striker playing and scoring in one of the big European leagues.
It's a fair while since we've had that at this stage.
In fairness, he's scored 2 league goals for Brighton. Connolly did that in one game against Spurs. Callum Robinson the same against Chelsea.
I wonder at what point he'll be the highest scoring premier league player of our squad:
- Coleman 21
- Hendrick 12
- Doherty 11
- McClean 11
- Brady 10
- Duffy 7
- Robinson 6
- Connolly 5
- Obafemi 4
- Hourihane 4
If Shane Long was considered to be still a squad member, I think he'd be on 56. Doherty could maybe reach 20. Beyond that, it's Ferguson, or at a stretch, Obafemi signs for Burnley, hits the ground running, does really well, they get promoted and he goes into next season as a goal scoring premier league striker...
I thought Connolly had a great chance to kick on and be a top Premiership player after those 2 goals against Spurs. It wasnt just the goals, he was playing very well at the time too and it should always serve a lesson for young players to not think they have "made it" after a couple of games.
Ferguson feels different to me than most of our hyped up young players of recent years. This feels like natural progression for a guy who has been destined to be a top class player since he was a kid of 14 coming on against Chelsea. Hes a bit like Bazunu, who also played LOI very young, in that once he got a taste of 1st team football you expect him to continue to improve. Id put Nathan Collins in that bracket too.
His performance against Liverpool at the weekend wont get the coverage of the previous games because he didnt score, but I thought he was brilliant. He was involved all the time. I think Stutts said in a previous post that the ball seems to be drawn to him in the box unlike other strikers in our squad, and it happens because of his cleverness of movement. He made some excellent runs the other night that made space for the likes of Mitoma to attack. His touch and hold up play were evident too. He just seemed to at the heart of everything good for Brighton and by the time he came off after an hour you could see that he was knackered.
To answer the question above, he could been our top Prem scorer by the time hes 20 if he continues his current progress.
Dropped for Welbeck but I wouldn't worry too much. Still early days in his career and he'll get plenty of gametime.
He’s come on and done it again!
Great header too. Delighted for him!
Beautiful header into the corner he was running from, in off the post. Incredible finish.
Just seen it now. Absolutely brilliant finish. A long way out and not a heap of pace on the cross. Pure quality.
Already halfway to matching the total Premier League goals scored by Connolly, Idah and Parrott combined.
It's early days yet, but there's a feel of Robbie Keane off this guy that I just haven't gotten with any of our other options
Three goals and two assists in around 200 mins of PL football.
Really nice finish with a glancing header. Expected to rotate with Welbeck for rest of season so wouldn’t worry about it. Will help divert some of the pressure
Ian Wright is a fan of the kid:
“I watched him against Everton, he scored against Arsenal,” said the BBC pundit, in a brilliant interview on an episode of Second Captains. “What happens when you see a striker like that, it does make you think ‘yes… old-school centre-forward,’ but what I liked about him is that he’s aggressive.
“Against Everton, he was having it with [James] Tarkowski and with [Conor] Coady and I liked that straight off the bat. He smashed someone off the ball, he linked the play really well, he made a great move for his goal and the other goal.”
“I hope that he gets to play regularly and Brighton start playing to his strengths and get him involved more,” he adds. “I’d get the ball into him as soon as possible through those lines, because he links the play very well, he’s got very intelligent movement in that last third, and he wants to get into the box.
“That’s what I would do. You look at him – he’s good in the air, he’s good on the floor, he make good movement in the box, so he’s somebody who has got all the attributes.
“Now how can we get it to him quicker? I’m not saying Brighton have to launch it but they’ve got another option now if he’s playing.
“They could play it through like we saw them do to Liverpool the other day, cut them to pieces, or they can go direct, get it into him, he can link play, people can go beyond him.
“They could do so many things with a striker who has got the capabilities that he’s got. He’s got everything. He’s got the size, he’s got the touch, he’s got the shooting power, he’s got the movement in the box.”
Let's not get carried away but this is unbelievable stuff. It's hard not to get excited. It looks like we have a goalscorer! Don't know much about him but he doesn't seem the party boy type. Hardworking and has his feet on the ground. Let's not say our new Robbie Keane just yet but some start for a player his age.
Probably a good thing that he's a completely different kind of player to Keane so that will hopefully minimise the comparisons. I can see Ferguson potentially having a more successful club career than Keane to be honest. But less successful at international level as Keane set that bar so high that it's near impossible to follow.
Because no giddity is allowed...to the tune of no diggity:
"We like the way he works it
Ev Fer - gu - son
Hes gonna bag one up!"
https://youtu.be/3KL9mRus19o
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