Page 42 - Soccer360 Issue 104

EPL PLAYER SPOTLIGHTS
STRIKING
FOR GLORY
BY: MATTHEW NASH
Wonder boy Evan Ferguson signed
a well-deserved new contract with Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Republic of Ireland striker has a ‘very big future’ says De Zerbi after agreeing to new deal until June 2029. The 19-year- old has put pen to paper on a five-and-a-half year deal with the club.
“Evan deserves this new contract and he has a very big future ahead of him,” Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi said on the club’s website. Technical director David Weir added; “Evan is
a brilliant young talent and we are delighted for him.
Since joining Brighton from Bohemians in January 2021, Ferguson has established himself as one of the best young
talents in the Premier League. He has scored 11 goals in
31 appearances in the competition, and against Newcastle United earlier
this season became the
fourth player in Premier
League history to score a hat-
trick aged 18 or younger in the competition at the time. By netting a treble in the win over Newcastle United, the 18-year-old forward joined an exclusive list which includes Chris Bart-Williams, Robbie Fowler, and Michael Owen.
Born in Bettystown in the province of Leinster, Ferguson joined the prestigious Dublin-based academy of St. Kevin’s Boys aged six. The academy is famed for producing Premier League stars such as Robbie Brady, Jeff Hendrick, and Damien Duff, as well as Republic of Ireland icon Liam Brady.
Karl Lambe, who is youth coach at St. Kevin’s and spent eight years working with Ferguson, revealed that even as a young boy, Ferguson’s dream was to play in the Premier League.
“He first told me at eight that he wanted to play in the Premier League, and he said it with conviction.” By the age of 14 Ferguson had joined League of Ireland Premier Division side Bohemians. In June 2019, only a matter of weeks later, he had received his first call up to the senior team for a pre-season friendly against Chelsea, where he set up an 89th- minute equaliser.
Lambe recalls the day well, recounting: “He [Ferguson] came on and he was so direct, the dribbling, the dummies, brushing off experienced Premier League defenders.
Having previously gone on trial with Celtic, Liverpool, Everton, and boyhood club Manchester United, Brighton were impressed enough to present Ferguson with their clear progression plan and pathway to the first team after only four senior appearances for Bohemians. Ferguson made his Premier League debut aged 17 in February 2022, appearing as a substitute in Brighton’s 3–0 home loss to Burnley. In doing so, at 18 years and 73 days old he became both Brighton and the Republic of Ireland’s youngest ever Premier League goal scorer.
It was his first of six goals in the league in a year in which he went on to be named Brighton’s 2022/23 Young Player of the Season.
Since succeeding Graham Potter in September 2022, Coach Roberto De Zerbi has seen Ferguson blossom, and the Italian believes that the best is yet to come.
“He can become big, big, big,” De Zerbi told SkySports. “His qualities are enough to become a great player. He can become one of the best, the top scorer in Europe. He was born in 2004, he’s 18. I don’t know how many players are young, that score like him.” While De Zerbi will continue to oversee Ferguson’s development a move to a power club look be in the horizon.
“HE [FERGUSON] CAME ONANDHEWASSO DIRECT, THE DRIBBLING, THE DUMMIES, BRUSHING OFF EXPERIENCED PREMIER LEAGUE DEFENDERS.”
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