AS Roma are working on a deal to sign Brighton forward Evan Ferguson on loan.
While no agreement has been reached, Roma are hopeful of landing the 20-year-old Republic of Ireland international, who spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham United.
Previously valued at around £100million by the south coast club, Ferguson struggled for game-time last term, making just three Premier League starts in total, including only after moving to London.
His solitary goal came in Brighton’s 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers in October and he was loaned out mid-season after falling down the pecking order.
Roma are in the market for a new centre-forward after Tammy Abraham joined Besiktas on an initial season-long loan deal, which will be made permanent next summer if certain conditions are met.
‘A logical next step’
Analysis by Andy Naylor
A temporary move abroad to a high-quality club would be a logical next step to revive Ferguson’s fortunes.
A loan to Premier League rivals West Ham at the end of the winter transfer window in February seemed to make sense for the 20-year-old Republic of Ireland No 9.
That reunited Ferguson with Graham Potter, his first head coach at Brighton, but the switch designed to increase his game-time and restore confidence did not work out. Only one of Ferguson’s eight goalless appearances for West Ham in the Premier League was as a starter.
Ferguson has dropped down the pecking order of strikers at the Amex Stadium since bursting onto the scene with six goals and two assists in 19 league appearances in the 2022-23 season. A series of injuries and irregular game time have sapped that early promise.
He has scored twice in his last 39 appearances for Brighton across all competitions since November 2023 and he has not started successive matches since December of that year.
Competition for forward spots in Fabian Hurzeler’s side for the coming season has increased in spite of Joao Pedro’s departure to Chelsea, with the signings of Greek strikers Stefanos Tzimas in January and Charalampos Kostoulas in the current window.
Ferguson signed a six-year contract in 2023. Brighton have not given up hope that he will come good again, but his next step will be important to restore faith and value in a prospect talked about as a £90m player when he first served notice of his potential.
(Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
