Evan Ferguson’s loan move to West Ham United from Brighton and Hove Albion for the remainder of this season offers the 20-year-old a chance to revive his stalled club career.
Ferguson must pass a medical before reuniting with Graham Potter, who gave him his professional debut at Brighton, but the Republic of Ireland striker is expected to go straight into the Hammers first team.
Potter has an injury crisis up front with German striker Niclas Füllkrug, Jamaica’s Michail Antonio and England international Jarrod Bowen all currently unavailable.
If Monday’s London derby against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge comes too soon, then he could feature against Nathan Collins’ Brentford next weekend.
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On Saturday, Ferguson returned from a six-week lay-off following his latest ankle injury, to play 17 minutes off the bench as Brighton were trounced 7-0 by Nottingham Forest.
West Ham will pay his salary, a loan fee and add-ons, according to The Athletic.
Capped 18 times for Ireland with four goals, the Bettystown native performed well against Finland and England at Wembley last November, in between ankle issues that slowed his progress at Brighton under Fabian Hürzeler.
Even when fit, he struggled to command minutes this season behind Danny Welbeck, João Pedro and Georginio Rutter.
That sparked interest from several clubs, including Bayer Leverkusen until Victor Boniface’s proposed move to Al-Nassr in the Saudi League fell through.
Ferguson’s contract runs into 2029, but the sanctioning of a loan to Premier League rivals suggests that there a strong possibility of a permanent move this summer. Brighton are currently 10th in the table while West Ham are seven points behind in 14th.
However, there is no obligation for West Ham to buy Ferguson.
Arsenal, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Marseille, were also interested in unlocking his vast potential.
After joining from Bohemians in 2021, he leaves Brighton with 13 goals in 60 Premier League appearances, including a hat-trick against Newcastle United in September 2023 that put him among a small band of players – Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, Francis Jeffers, Robbie Fowler and Chris Bart-Williams – to do so before their 19th birthday.
But with just 15 appearances in the league this season and one goal, both the player and club agree that a loan move is the best option.
Currently valued at €40 million on transfermarkt.com, if Ferguson starts scoring again that figure will rise significantly before the next transfer window.
As one Irishman departs, another arrives as Brighton signed Ireland under-21 defender Eiran Cashin from Derby County, reportedly on a five-and-a-half year deal.
“We’re delighted to welcome Eiran to the club,” said Hürzeler. “He’s gained a lot of experience in the Championship, has a good profile and as a left-sided defender he will give us another strong defensive option.”
Elsewhere, it was a good weekend for Aaron Connolly as the Galway man scored his first Millwall goal in the 2-1 defeat of QPR while Andrew Moran’s strike earned Stoke City an important victory over Hull City.
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