Chelsea is one of a host of clubs eyeing a move for Brighton and Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson.
What’s the latest on Evan Ferguson to Chelsea?
According to 90min, Chelsea are set to be rivalled by a number of European juggernauts including Bayern Munich and Barcelona, as well as Premier League rivals Newcastle United and Liverpool.
Despite the massive interest attached to Ferguson, the report also states that the 18-year-old is extremely content on the south coast and is in no rush to leave amid the possibility of a new, much-improved contract at the Amex Stadium.
Would Evan Ferguson be a good fit at Chelsea?
The Irish wonderkid has burst onto the scene out of nowhere this season and has been a revelation when he has appeared for Brighton. In just 16 senior appearances for the first team, the prodigy has registered ten goal contributions, despite largely featuring from the substitutes bench.
The young £13m-rated marksman was signed by the Seagulls from Bohemians for just £529k in 2021 in yet another stroke of transfer genius from the Brguhton hierarchy. Transfermarkt has estimated that his value has already skyrocketed to £9m, but the fee is likely to be much higher due to his soaring potential.
The £3k-per-week star recently made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland’s senior team and scored his first goal for his nation in a 3-2 friendly win over Latvia.
This already impressive resume has meant that Chelsea has become attracted to the possibility of signing Ferguson.
The forward is quick, strong, physical, and somewhat of a target man – a different profile of attacker to any other Chelsea player. The only player he moderately compares to in terms of style of play and attributes is Armando Borja, but he suffered a major injury in a friendly against Aston Villa at the end of 2022, so it remains to be seen how will return and if he is able to provide the goals that the Blues are desperately craving.
Ferguson has averaged more goals and assists per 90 than the Albanian, as well as a higher xGChain90 (the total xG of every passage of possession the player is involved in per 90) and xGBuildup90 (the total xG of every passage of possession, not including key passes or shots) this term.
The youngster has demonstrated himself to be a key function of Roberto De Zerbi’s exciting, possession-based and relentlessly attacking style of play. The manager has labelled the talent as a “special striker” to commemorate his recent involvement.
Kylian Mbappe, arguably the World’s best player, also highlighted the quality of Ferguson by describing him as a “great striker” before France’s 1-0 victory over Ireland.
After the disastrous transfer of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the summer, this gem could be the solution to reinvigorate Chelsea’s frontline.