West Ham sign Evan Ferguson on loan – no option to buy Brighton striker included in deal

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Reunited with Potter 

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West Ham confirmed the signing of Evan Ferguson on Monday, as the Brighton striker made the move to London on a loan deal for the remainder of the season. According to Sky Sports, the Hammers will pay a “significant” loan fee to sign the 20-year-old goalscorer on loan, but no obligation to buy him outright at the end of the season has been included in the deal. Ferguson makes the move to West Ham as the club’s only January transfer window signing, with the only additions to the squad being the return of James Ward-Prowse and Maxwel Cornet from their loan deals. 

“It feels good to be here. Seeing the stadium and being here today, I’ve got a very good feeling,” said Ferguson in an interview on the West Ham website. “I can see and know how big West Ham United is. It was a big opportunity for me to come here. I know the gaffer well and look forward to working under him again. I want to come in and do my best for the club, score goals, and see where we get to.” Prior to his loan to West Ham, Ferguson had managed just one goal in 13 league appearances for Brighton. However, now at West Ham, the young Irish talent has been reunited with former Seagulls manager Graham Potter and will undoubtedly hope to get back to playing regular football in the Premier League. “I’m delighted we’ve been able to bring Evan in on loan until the end of the season,” said Potter. “He’s a player we obviously know very well, so I’m grateful to the board for bringing him in. He’s got plenty of quality attributes as a striker that we believe will benefit the group over the course of the coming months. We’re excited to integrate him into the squad and see him in action in the weeks to come.” Ferguson 

Ferguson rose to prominence in the English top-flight in the 2022/23 season, when he broke into Brighton’s squad and scored six goals and a further two assists in just 19 league appearances for the club. He then nailed down a starting role for the club in the following league campaign, but managed just six goals in 26 appearances. Injuries then got in the way of his development at Brighton, with a ligament tear and knee injury ruling the player out for 17 games for club and country last season. By the time Ferguson had returned to full fitness at the start of this season, he had lost his starting spot in the team to other forwards at Brighton and has struggled for game time ever since. Despite his set backs, the young striker remains the most valuable Irish player in the world and the third most valuable player at Brighton with a market value of €40 million. And at just 20 years of age, there’s still every chance that he could still develop into the Premier League striker that the Seagulls once thought he would become.