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Ireland forward Evan Ferguson has emerged as one of Europe’s most highly-rated young strikers following his stellar debut season in England.
The 19-year-old joined Brighton & Hove Albion from Dublin-based club Bohemians amid competition from Liverpool in 2021. But Ferguson correctly opted for Brighton as they had a better youth academy geared towards playing younger footballers on the first team.
Ferguson notched 11 goals and five assists in 28 appearances last season to help the Seagulls qualify for the Europa League for the first time in their history.
Ferguson is a complete centre-forward with sturdy hold-up play and clinical finishing ability. He is strong in the air and on the ground, with underlying metrics that show he is a star in the making.
He has bagged six goals and one assist this term – form which has sparked inevitable talk about a big money move elsewhere next summer.
Brighton could be tempted to sell in 2024, especially if a club comes forward with a huge offer. We look at potential landing spots for the Irish striker.
Liverpool
Liverpool shelled out big money to sign Darwin Nunez from Benfica, but despite some flashes of brilliance, he has struggled to live up to his billing. If Nunez doesn’t improve over the 2nd half of the Premier League season the Mersey club might cut their losses and go for Ferguson.
The Brighton forward has the link-up play to complement Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah on either flank and the ice-cold finishing to make his mark on Merseyside.
Ferguson would flourish in Jurgen Klopp’s attacking set-up, especially with Salah beside him. The Egyptian has been Liverpool’s talisman for years but has also become their chief creator with seven assists this season.
The Brighton striker is currently priced at 66/1 to finish as the top scorer in the Premier League this season, but those odds would drastically drop if he secured a move to Anfield.
Betting sites in Ireland would hand him juicy odds to top the scoring charts with a supply line consisting of Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Luis Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Arsenal
A move to Arsenal would be the most obvious choice of a move to a top tier club in England. The Arsenal strikers Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus are simply not prolific enough to lead the club to a Premier League title.
Most of Arsenal’s scoring burden is carried by Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard.
Arsenal need a prolific forward to lead their line and must secure an upgrade on who they currently have in their ranks. With Arsenal’s creativity, Ferguson would bang in goals for fun and could potentially lead them to their first league title in 20 years.
Even with Arsenal leading the way in the Premier League today, many people doubt their credentials and ability to clinch the title due to their mentality and lack of a clear goalscorer.
Ferguson could help to forge a dynasty at the Emirates Stadium and shine in a young squad thirsty for titles and brimming with potential.
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur lost striker Harry Kane over the summer but Ferguson is a top talent who could fill the gap for the club.
Heung-min Son has been leading the line since Kane’s departure, but Ferguson’s arrival would allow the South Korean to move back to the flank.
Ferguson would fit in nicely alongside Son, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison. He has the work rate to press from the front, and a move to Spurs would be perfect for him.
He could fire them to a domestic cup or two and earn the admiration of their fans before making an even bigger jump later in his career.
Ferguson also has the option of staying at Brighton, at least for another season. However, they will need to qualify for Europe again for this to become a reality.
Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham are all great Premier League options for Ferguson, but maybe the bright lights of a big European Club could entice the Irish man too. Only time will tell but one thing is for sure the transfer noise will be huge next Summer.
