The last time Brighton played with Leandro Trossard, the best player in their ranks, was on December 31. The next day the winter transfer window and Arsenal chasing the Belgian. Manager Roberto de Zerbi didn’t play him ever again. However, this hasn’t affected the team, and they have gone on to pick up 10 points from four games. Part of the reason why they haven’t suffered has been the rise of an 18-year-old striker named Evan Ferguson.
The youngster who was signed a year ago by the Seagulls from Irish club Bohemians and was seen as a future prospect but has now been thrown straight into the deep end, and he has not only survived but thrived at the top level.
The Irishman represents the brilliance of Brighton’s recruitment policy which has unearthed several top players when they were very young and unheard of. His emergence, coupled with the money received from Trossard’s sale, will allow the club to invest money in other more critical areas and ensure the quality of the team does not go down, and they continue to compete at the highest level.
But who is Evan Ferguson, and how good is he?
Playing career so far
Evan Joe Ferguson was born on October 19, 2004, in Bettystown, Ireland. Ferguson was interested in football from the start because his father, Barry, was a professional footballer and played his career for clubs such as Coventry City, Colchester, Northampton, Longford, and Shamrock Rovers.
Evan started his career at St Kevin’s Boys, one of Ireland’s best football schools. However, he soon left for Bohemians FC, a club where his father also played. Here he would shine for the youth teams, which caught the eyes of then manager Keith Long who immediately called him to the senior squad.
And at the age of 14, he played in a match against Chelsea in a friendly on July 11, 2019. He made five appearances that season. This meant that clubs were now starting to take notice of his talent, and in the 2021 winter transfer window, he was snapped by Brighton, who beat stiff competition from Liverpool to sign him.
🇮🇪| Evan Ferguson has been named in the @WhoScored Premier League Team of the Month for January
First of many 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/2PbXQs1QWK
— IrishPropaganda🇮🇪⚽️ (@IrishPropaganda) February 1, 2023
In his first six months at the club, Ferguson would play for both the under-18s and under-23s, making 13 appearances scoring three goals and providing one assist. However, his rise was so rapid…
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