[Albion] Evan Ferguson **Loaned to West Ham 03/02/2025**

[The Fits]

I’d have preferred to see him stay, but if we’re honest his performances haven’t been great & so even with his need for minutes he wouldn’t likely get much playing time here ahead of Welbeck, Pedro, Rutter. So if those stay fit, and Evan gets the minutes he needs at West Ham (regardless of how well he performs for them) that will put us in a better position for next season. Of course that idea crumbles if one or two of those get injured. It’s a gamble.

Not if he wants out.

 

[Flounce]

We should have re-appointed Potter when we had the chance. He is a better manager than Hurzeler and West Ham will likely finish above us by the end of the season

I would have been all over re appointing Potter but he would have got zero leeway from the fans this time around, so it was a complete non starter imo. He is a much better manager than FH but that ship has sailed

 

[brighton_tom]

Not if he wants out.

True. But he’s contracted to 2029. He doesn’t just get to stay at West Ham because he wants too.

 

[albionalex]

I suspect because we’ve made it perfectly clear he can join a top tier European team this summer. His agents would have been sounded out about that already a la Mac which looked organise pre World Cup.
People might fairly think why would Mitoma choose to stay here over all the money in Saudi . And I’d agree. However, if (as is likely the case) he and his agent know at least a handful of ‘bigger’ clubs are after him this summer then clearly 150k a week at one of those, competing for trophies at the highest level, is worth waiting for.

No chance any European club would pay anything near what Saudi would in terms of transfer fee.

 

[The Fits]

No chance any European club would pay anything near what Saudi would in terms of transfer fee.

True but so what?
We sold Mac for what, half his true value? We value loyalty and professionalism and players who show that are rewarded by us allowing these moves with little fighting.

 

[Flounce]

Not if he wants out.

I would suggest that he does, with nothing to back that up, just a hunch. If he hits the ground running at WHU I think we can take it that all was not well behind the scenes for him here under FH. I don’t expect to see him or Enciso in an Albion shirt again, and I’d love to be wrong.

Player power rules, if he wants out, he’s gone

 

[The Fits]

True. But he’s contracted to 2029. He doesn’t just get to stay at West Ham because he wants too.

Ergo even more unhappy and demotivated than he was previously. Not ideal.
Best we can hope for is he absolutely tears it up and someone makes a huge offer for him.

 

[The Fits]

I would suggest that he does, with nothing to back that up, just a hunch. If he hits the ground running at WHU I think we can take it that all was not well behind the scenes for him here under FH. I don’t expect to see him or Enciso in an Albion shirt again, and I’d love to be wrong.

Player power rules, if he wants out, he’s gone

Me too. Both such potential but both totally lost their way here for whatever reason. Certain they’ll never play for us again and certain they’ll have very good careers.

 

[Mellotron]

If/when Danny gets injured, this will be an easy rod for fans to beat FH with.

We don't look right up top without a focal point.

Welbeck is one. Ferguson when on form is one. Pedro and Rutter aren't. IMO.

 

[GoldstoneVintage]

Could be a genius move to get us 3 points. Evan plays brilliantly and becomes first name on the team sheet for the Hammers. They rely on him for literally all their goals. But... he cannot play against us and as they then won't be able to score, all we need to do is play 10 attackers to make sure we score at least one goal. Simples.

 

[Justice]

Does it? Why did we reject the Mitoma bid then?

Mitoma didn’t want to go there

 

[Flounce]

Mitoma didn’t want to go there

The one and only reason we didn’t snap their hand off imo

 

[Forster's Armband]

This is a stupid move (I am not generally one for going against the club) that will result in him leaving and losing a striker of immense quality rather than enjoying his talents and goals.

West Ham will finish above us and he will want to go there, the quotes from him and FH hardly sound like he's planning on coming back for next season.

It's well and good being "recruitment FC" but at some point we need to start acting like the established premier league club that we are.

 

[y2dave]

I’d have preferred to see him stay, but if we’re honest his performances haven’t been great & so even with his need for minutes he wouldn’t likely get much playing time here ahead of Welbeck, Pedro, Rutter. So if those stay fit, and Evan gets the minutes he needs at West Ham (regardless of how well he performs for them) that will put us in a better position for next season. Of course that idea crumbles if one or two of those get injured. It’s a gamble.

All fair points to argue but for me his only direct competitor for a role in the team should be Welbeck. Does Danny’s fitness record and current form mean it’s smart to be loaning out his most capable and promising competitor/alternative? We’ve still got 14 league games and at least 1 cup tie to navigate.

 

[Weststander]

True. But he’s contracted to 2029. He doesn’t just get to stay at West Ham because he wants too.

Players hold almost all the cards now. When a valuation's met, they're off, until then they can disrupt life/planning for a club until they get their way.

Kane and Haha the only two exceptions to be kept as highly paid prisoners, the former case led to a disrupted start to a season.

 

[Loadicus Trux]

I can see this developing into another Denz Udav situation.

 

[Loadicus Trux]

Sorry Undav.

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

Do not get this at all.

 

[Weststander]

Thank gawd RDZ's not the Albion coach just now. If he was, the nsc Booker Prize candidates would be accusing him of falling out with Enciso and Ferguson, fatally for the club.

 

[Blues Guitarist]

Watching the highlights Lampity looks completely over run and Mitoma was offering him no support plus Pedro several times appears to just give up chasing back I gave up watching at 4-0 at which point Forest were out of sight so have only seen the last 3 goals via highlights

Lamptey often had two attackers to look after. He should have had help from either a DM, or Mitoma (or both). If you look at how defences deal with Mitoma, there are nearly always two defenders on him (and a third appears if our full back pushes up), whereas Lamptey was all on his own.