World football has been put on high alert following the revelation that Brighton are open to sending Evan Ferguson out on loan during the January transfer window.
It is a decision which has come as something of a surprise. Yes, Ferguson has not played as much as he would like so far in the 2024-25 season thanks to the career-best form of Danny Welbeck.
But Welbeck will need resting at some point. And the Albion need to manage the minutes of Joao Pedro carefully, the Brazilian forward having suffered three different injuries in the past 12 months.
Ferguson seems certain to get more game time as the season progresses and tiredness becomes an issue. Not to mention what happens if Welbeck or Pedro are injured.
Loan Ferguson out on January 15th. Welbeck gets injured away at Ipswich Town on January 16th. Pedro picks up another problem against Manchester United on January 19th. What then for the Albion’s hopes of finishing in the top six?
WAB would not be thinking about allowing Evan Ferguson to head out on loan in January. But if the Albion decide it is what is best for player and club, where might he end up?
Considerations for Brighton before loaning out Evan Ferguson
Brighton would not want to strengthen a direct rival for a European spot. Given how tight the Premier League is this season, that should rule out a number of clubs – including those Saudi Sportswashers at Newcastle United, whom TeamTalk have linked Ferguson with.
Evan Ferguson would also need to be a guaranteed starter to make any loan worthwhile from an Albion point of view. If he joins West Ham but is only used in rotation with Michail Antonio, Ferguson may as well stay at the Amex and rotate with Danny Welbeck.
Brighton have apparently ruled out a Championship loan, although that will not stop fans of 1996 Coca Cup Cup runners up The Leeds United getting their hopes up. How could the Albion say no to Leeds? Ah, shit, I just remembered what happened with Ben White… when Brighton said no to Leeds.
Taking into account these factors, the pool of potential loan destinations for Evan Ferguson actually appears quite small.
Leicester City
The Albion already have a good relationship with Leicester City. The two clubs struck a deal for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the summer before the midfielder who sounds like a wedding venue opted to join Chelsea at the last minute. Wonder how that is working out?
Brighton also loaned Facundo Buonanotte to the Foxes in the summer. Buonanotte is enjoying an excellent season at the King Power Stadium – but his presence there makes a Ferguson loan move to Leicester difficult to envision.
Whilst the Foxes would definitely benefit from a striker of Ferguson’s quality in their battle to avoid relegation, Premier League clubs can only have one player on loan from another top flight club at any time.
For Ferguson to join Leicester, Buonanotte would either need to come back to Brighton. Or the Foxes sign the Argentinian teenager on a permanent transfer.
Ipswich Town
Another fellow Premier League outfit who Brighton have sent players to in the past are Ipswich Town. They have former Albion goalkeeper Christian Walton on their books and benefited from Jeremy Sarmiento moving on loan to Portman Road for the promotion run in last season.
The Tractor Boys have scored 13 goals in 12 matches so far this season. There is an obvious area for improvement there.
Yet six of those have been plundered by Liam Delap. The 21-year-old is having an excellent season following his £15 million move from Manchester City.
Would Ipswich be willing to drop an in-form Delap and potentially stifle his development to help Ferguson and Brighton with his for six months?
If guaranteed minutes is one of the considerations the Albion take before sanctioning a loan for Ferguson, it could rule out the Tractor Boys.
Wolves
For Delap at Ipswich, see Matheus Cunha at Wolves. Seven goals in 11 matches so far this season means Cunha is almost single-handedly firing Gary O’Neil’s side up the table.
Evan Ferguson will not be getting the minutes he requires at Molineux should Wolves make an offer to take him on loan.
Southampton
Southampton were interested in taking Facundo Buonanotte before he joined Leicester. Might they get a Brighton player at the second time of asking to boost their survival hopes, in the same way Buonanotte is doing his best to keep the Foxes up?
Saints play a similar brand of football to Brighton, which will appeal in terms of consistency. They also lack any sort of Premier League standard striker. Ferguson walks into their starting XI from day one.
Southampton are, however, shit. Yes, they will inevitably beat the Albion at the Amex on Friday night. But at current rate, they are on course to finish the campaign with under 13 points.
If Ferguson fails to fire because of the substandard quality of players around him in a side which comes close to setting a new record-low for Premier League points, what damage could his confidence take?
Celtic
Newspapers, websites and social media in the Republic of Ireland and certain parts of Scotland have all gone wild at the prospect of Ferguson joining Celtic.
Beyond the obvious Irish link, what would be the benefits for Ferguson? Yes, he would get game time. But in a league where Abdallah Sima looked outstanding for Rangers last season.
If the Albion do not want to loan Ferguson to the Championship because they consider him too good for it, where would be the sense in sending him to a Scottish Premier League in which most of the clubs are League One standard?
A couple of potential runouts in the Champions League or Europa League and facing Rangers in the Old Firm Derby does not really justify sending Ferguson north of the border for six months.
Crystal Palace
Second bottom of the Premier League. Only 10 goals scored all season. Top scorer is Jean-Philippe Mateta with three. Crying out for a half-decent striker to reignite what Crystal Palace fans assured us would be a push for Europe in 2024-25.
Selhurst Park looks the perfect destination for Ferguson. Surely not…
