Evan Ferguson F Brighton b.2004

[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.