Who is Evan Ferguson? The 20-year-old rising Brighton and Hove Albion star on Chelsea’s radar

Chelsea’s co-sporting director, Paul Winstanley, previously worked at Brighton and is well-acquainted with Ferguson, making the Blues a strong contender for his signature. The young striker broke through at Brighton a couple of seasons back but the emergence of other talents at the club have seen opportunities be limited for himself, leading to Brighton being open to letting him leave. The question that remains is why are so many top clubs interested in signing the youngster?

Who is Evan Ferguson, the Irish striker who made his first team debut at 14?

Born in Drogheda near Dublin, Ferguson is the son of former professional footballer Barry Ferguson. His father is a former Republic of Ireland youth International and made over a 100 appearances for Irish club Longford Town and is currently a development officer with the Football Association of Ireland. Ferguson followed in his father’s footsteps and showed early signs of promise when he joined St. Kevin’s Boys FC, the same academy that produced Arsenal legend Liam Brady and other Premier League stars like Damien Duff and Robbie Brady.

He quickly moved to one of his father’s old stomping ground in Bohemians following the club’s partnership with St. Kevin’s and that’s when he got his big break. What was supposed to be a normal preseason friendly for the Irish club, turned out to be a huge PR affair for the side. They were hosting Chelsea as club legend Frank Lampard was taking charge of the club for his first ever game and the entire spotlight was stolen by Ferguson come full-time.

The Irish boy made his senior debut for the club just at the age of 14 against the very side that is interested in signing him currently. He was exceptional on his debut and was everywhere on field once he came on. He always looked more mature than his age when he was on the field, and Trevor Croly, the assistant coach of Bohemians at the time, was all praises for the boy. “He was exceptional against Chelsea” were the words straight out of Croly’s mouth.

Evan Ferguson is a player worth taking a risk on, Chelsea have been watching him since he was 14 years old.

Once he gets over his injuries, he has the potential to be the Best Striker in World Football.

Perfect Profile.pic.twitter.com/S1TyU0N4O4

— Zeno (@CFCZeno) January 31, 2025

His debut attracted the attention of various clubs, including their opponents on the night. Merseyside duo of Liverpool and Everton were also interested signing the youngster as they took him on trials and so did Brighton and Hove Albion. By the time he turned 16 and had to sign his professional contract, he had two clear options in front of him, Liverpool or Brighton and he took the sensible decision of going to Brighton to continue his development.

A strong, aggressive striker with a snap finish in his Arsenal, Ferguson has all the tools to become of the best in the world. One of Barry Ferguson’s family friends likened Evan to Dutch great Marco Van Basten given his strength, face, two footed ness and his maturity on the pitch. His time at Brighton was off to a great start before injuries halted his progress. He made his debut for the club during the 2021/22 season, making a solitary Premier League appearance but he lit the Premier League 2 up that season with eight goals in just 17 games for the U23 squad.

He followed that up with five goals and an assist in six Premier League 2 appearances the following season while also scoring 10 goals and notching up three assists in just over 1200 minutes for the senior team. The 2023/24 season was supposed to be one where he could finally establish himself in the first team but injuries saw his game time be very limited, restricting him to just six goals in the league as he made only 15 starts. The current season has also seen him be plagued by injuries but the talent is still present.

Why are Chelsea looking to sign Evan Ferguson?

Nicolas Jackson 1 assist, 0 goals in 8 games.
His last goal was on 15/12/2024 vs. Brentford. pic.twitter.com/dqZQ1b7UFm

— CFChris. (@EmenaIo) January 25, 2025

Chelsea have quite clearly seen his talents up close as he made his first ever senior appearance against the Blues and he fits in the new owners buying young philosophy. The club are crying out for a prolific goal scorer in front of goal as well as someone who can provide serious competition to Nicolas Jackson up front. The Senegalese forward started the season in great form but hasn’t scored a goal for the club since the middle of December.

A lack of goals from Jackson has hurt the club as the striker has also missed numerous chances to give his side the lead during their recent slump in form since a 2-1 win over Brentford in the middle of December. Ferguson is someone who can provide more competition to Nicolas Jackson while also being an able back up for the striker when he’s in form. Enzo Maresca clearly likes Jackson and doesn’t wanna get rid of the 23-year-old entirely.

Jackson fits well in Maresca’s system and Ferguson has all the qualities Maresca needs from his striker. Ferguson is fast, strong on the ball and a good finisher in the box. He can press well when the ball isn’t at his feet and is also good in the air. He offers a slightly different profile to Jackson which also helps when trying to break down stubborn defenses and buying him on a loan with an option to buy could be a very smart move from the Blues.