[Albion] Evan Ferguson

[Simster]

I can't see us selling Ferguson for less than £50-60m. I'd be astonished

That may be true, but equally I can't see anyone paying £50-60m for him either. So I don't think he'll go.

 

[JBizzle]

That may be true, but equally I can't see anyone paying £50-60m for him either. So I don't think he'll go.

There's always Chelsea, my friend.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I think the big question re selling.

Is he another Connolly and not good enough at this level?

Or is he another potential Gyokeres and we're letting that potential walk?

I honestly think its the latter. There's a really good young player in there, who has had his confidence knocked and probably continues to.

If Postecoglu, Potter, Iraola or Alonso think they can get a tune out of him, why doesn't Hurzeler?

Its confidence not ability imho and that's man management.

As others have said, absolutely everything on this thread is speculation.

So what makes you think that not picking a player means that Fab thinks he can't get the tune out of Fergy that other managers think they can?

If correct it would mean that Fab is a quitter or develops random and unjustified antipathy to players whereas other managers are not and don't.

I am now beginning to understand how Trump has persuaded American women that it is in their best interest to vote for him.

 

[SittingbourneSeagull]

I think that letting Ferguson go would be a massive error. He is very young and expectation has been huge. Coupled with a nasty illness and a couple of injuries he seems to have fallen out of favour.

We all know that how ever much we love Welbeck he is always one tackle away from a lay off and the chances are Pedro may go in the summer so why we we let Ferguson go. Hopefully he will stay and prove a lot of doubters wrong.

 

[Gabbiano]

The calibre of club that is supposedly interested in him says something. Other clubs haven't given up on him yet so why should we.

Would be fascinating if he went to Leverkusen and got his form back. They create chance after chance and have a great young manager. But would he want to come back to mid table PL and a manager who doesn't trust him after playing CL for the German champions?

 

[Javeaseagull]

I’m sure it’s been said before but you just know that as soon as Evan goes out on loan Danny will get a season ending injury and that’s us fooked. We’ve been lucky so far but can it last? I don’t think so.

 

[SeagullinExile]

I've only ever seen it on here. Unless I missed it, the club have never said anything about glandular fever

Tbf. Would the club even be able to comment on a non football related illness? Surely that would be confidential medical information?

 

[JBizzle]

I’m sure it’s been said before but you just know that as soon as Evan goes out on loan Danny will get a season ending injury and that’s us fooked. We’ve been lucky so far but can it last? I don’t think so.

This is why we simply cannot sanction a move away for Ferguson until we have someone else in. I love Welbz, but he will need to be replaced. Having a new striker here for 6 months, plus Ferguson out on loan banging them in, helps us start next season with 3 strikers rather.

I'm very anti-permanent transfer for this one though.

 

[Justice]

I think the big question re selling.

Is he another Connolly and not good enough at this level?

Or is he another potential Gyokeres and we're letting that potential walk?

I honestly think its the latter. There's a really good young player in there, who has had his confidence knocked and probably continues to.

If Postecoglu, Potter, Iraola or Alonso think they can get a tune out of him, why doesn't Hurzeler?

It’s confidence not ability imho and that's man management.

For a club that has been built on developing young players since the PL era you may have a very valid point.

 

[jackalbion]

This is why we simply cannot sanction a move away for Ferguson until we have someone else in. I love Welbz, but he will need to be replaced. Having a new striker here for 6 months, plus Ferguson out on loan banging them in, helps us start next season with 3 strikers rather.

I'm very anti-permanent transfer for this one though.

I think we'd all like this, but I can't see that happening this January. I think much like Enciso, any loan move for Ferguson is to open the door for a permanent move.

 

[South Stand Bonfire]

Fish puns. That is the point! Always has bream always will be.

What is the entire point of this forum, if we shouldn’t discuss speculation and any potential scenarios?

 

[Zeberdi]

No

Exactly

but you were saying that 'x player is available for sale at the right price' is true for all of our players, so this report from Naylor may not mean much.

That is not what I said. Clearly, we are open for business with Ferguson specifically. The general ethos became player specific. But it doesn’t tell us any more than that. Has Evan asked to leave? Has the Club given up on getting him back to how he was? Are we still preferring a loan? Has FH failed to manage him? Is he now worth only £25 million cf to the £100m that was being touted 18 months ago? Just some of the wild speculating theories being bandied about yesterday based on the very little we actually know - viz the Club is open to selling him now.

I also didn’t say it wasn’t newsworthy - my immediate response to the article when I read it yesterday was that it was a new and ‘unexpected development’ - which it was. Until then we were only talking about a loan for Evan.

This is what I wrote when I first posted a link to the article on the Transfer thread yesterday afternoon (before all the speculating and polls etc began) - hardly treating it like click bait.

That’s unexpected - maybe some breakdown in relationships that is possibly forcing a permanent transfer out - can’t think why it would otherwise be good for squad depth or financially unless it’s for silly money?

Surely we would get far less for an injured, underperforming Ferguson than we would for a fully recovered Ferguson that’s scoring goals after a 6th month successful loan spell?

NYT (if that’s your source)

Brighton open to permanent Evan Ferguson exit in January

Brighton & Hove Albion are prepared to allow Evan Ferguson to depart the club permanently in the January transfer window. The 20-year-old Republic of Ireland international has attracted widespread loan interest from Premier League rivals and top-flight clubs abroad, but Brighton are also open to...

www.nytimes.com

Btw - Doesn’t mean to say we would have any intention of accepting any offers, just open to bids as every single squad member is theoretically - TB/PB has always said ‘if the price is right’ ….

This was posted by another highly respectabl sports journalist AFTER Naylor’s story and tweet yesterday

 

[JBizzle]

I think we'd all like this, but I can't see that happening this January. I think much like Enciso, any loan move for Ferguson is to open the door for a permanent move.

I think you're right on Enciso. For whatever reason, he's not cracked it here other than flashes of brilliance. My fervent hope is that if Ferguson goes on loan, it's not an Undav-style loan. As others have said, this looks like a Gyokeres moment, and nobody wants a repeat of that.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I think the big question re selling.

Is he another Connolly and not good enough at this level?

Or is he another potential Gyokeres and we're letting that potential walk?

I honestly think its the latter. There's a really good young player in there, who has had his confidence knocked and probably continues to.

If Postecoglu, Potter, Iraola or Alonso think they can get a tune out of him, why doesn't Hurzeler?

Its confidence not ability imho and that's man management.

Hedging their bets given January is now a slow window for player movement.
1. West Ham - Antonio out long term, only Ings to turn to. Whether Ferguson does well or not, it's worth a punt for them.
2. Arsenal - stuttering title challenge, no recognised striker, even if he doesn't perform, they've got nothing to lose.
3. Bournemouth - can smell a European place, again probably have space to give him a go on loan.
4. Leverkusen - see Arsenal, title challenge to bolster, worht a punt.

If Brighton have given signals they'd listen to a loan or even a permanent deal, then all of them I think would take a punt rather than believing it's something we're not doing or that they can get something better out of him.

Gyokeres is 26, it's taken him a long time to develop and even then, success in Portugal doesn't necessarily transfer into Premier League, or Bundegliga / La Liga success.

Perhaps it's just that he's 20, Harry Kane didn't properly break through until he was 21, and had 4 loan spells with different clubs. Development is never a set path for players.

 

[Brian Munich]

The club originally said it was a viral illness when he missed marseille at home.

I did read glandular fever on here afterwards. It was also stated by someone I know (the person who told me about Potter and chelsea 2 days before tuchel was sacked) who had some business dealings with ferguson and his agent last Sept that he was still feeling the after effects of a viral illness from a year before and that glandular fever had been mentioned in that conversation too.

So no the club have never said glandular fever specifically (and I wouldn't expect them to given that players with a slight strain are usually never seen for 6 months and only then in a hospital bed or on crutches)

Tagging @Herr Tubthumper and @Sarisbury Seagull as you both asked similar questions

It was the AEK Athens game at home, wasn't it? I remeber that he scored a hatrick against Newcastle and then played only 5 mins at the end of our annual win at Old Trafford a week later, with everyone reasonably assuming that he was being rested for the Europa League game a few days later. However, he didn't even make the match day squad, which I think was when the viral illness was first reported, and he also withdrew from the Ireland squad a week later.

All sorts of speculation and theory as to what has caused it, but what's certain is that there was massive drop off of his form and he's not looked great since Autumn 2023.

 

[ROSM]

It was the AEK Athens game at home, wasn't it? I remeber that he scored a hatrick against Newcastle and then played only 5 mins at the end of our annual win at Old Trafford a week later, with everyone reasonably assuming that he was being rested for the Europa League game a few days later. However, he didn't even make the match day squad, which I think was when the viral illness was first reported, and he also withdrew from the Ireland squad a week later.

All sorts of speculation and theory as to what has caused it, but what's certain is that there was massive drop off of his form and he's not looked great since Autumn 2023.

Yes thanks you're right it was aek at home not marseille.

 

[Zeberdi]

This is why we simply cannot sanction a move away for Ferguson until we have someone else in. I love Welbz, but he will need to be replaced. Having a new striker here for 6 months, plus Ferguson out on loan banging them in, helps us start next season with 3 strikers rather.

I'm very anti-permanent transfer for this one though.

I think based on Plettenberg’s tweet above, that’s exactly what we would do - ie not release him until the last day of the window (3rd Feb) which one could assume the reason being is that we are still aiming to land a striker first.

 

[Hiheidi]

Hedging their bets given January is now a slow window for player movement.
2. Arsenal - stuttering title challenge, no recognised striker, even if he doesn't perform, they've got nothing to lose.

If Brighton have given signals they'd listen to a loan deal, then all of them I think would take a punt rather than believing it's something we're not doing or that they can get something better out of him.

If Arsenal are interested, it's to buy, as they already have two PL players in on loan.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

If he is fit and can’t get into the first team, why the hell hasn’t he been playing in the under 21s to get playing time and score a few goals. I don’t get it, although when i have seen him play he looks sluggish, bordering on lazy but have put this down to illness/injury. Such a shame as we all had such high hopes.

 

[GJN1]

That may be true, but equally I can't see anyone paying £50-60m for him either. So I don't think he'll go.

Agree. I mean, it's a lot for potential alone and no proven track record.