New signing Evan Ferguson has revealed that the opportunity to work under Graham Potter once again was a huge factor in his decision to join from Brighton & Hove Albion on loan until the end of the 2024/25 season.
In his first interview after putting pen to paper to seal his move to east London, the Republic of Ireland international was full of praise for his new Head Coach, whom he spent over a year with at American Express Stadium and made his senior debut for in August 2021, coming on as a substitute in a 2-0 win over Cardiff City in the EFL Cup second round.
The journey from being a promising talent to the Premier League has been a short one for Ferguson.
Having come through the ranks at League of Ireland club Bohemians, where there had been hype around the ceiling of his potential for a number of years, he made his senior debut at 14 years old in a 1-1 pre-season draw against Chelsea. It was Academy of Football graduate Frank Lampard's first game as manager at the Blues. Ferguson, a boy not yet near becoming a man, came off the bench and went up against future West Ham United defender Kurt Zouma.
He moved to Brighton aged 16, and just over four years on, Ferguson has become one of the Premier League’s most exciting prospects.
The 2022/23 campaign was his real breakthrough season, starring in all three first-team competitions. He scored ten goals from his 25 appearances, including six in the Premier League, and ended the season by being voted Brighton’s Young Player of the Season, while in November 2022, he got his first call-up for the Republic of Ireland international squad, making his senior debut in a friendly against Norway in Dublin, before his first senior international goal arrived in a friendly win over Latvia in March 2023.
Only 20 years old, Ferguson already has 18 appearances for his country, scored four goals and has been voted FAI Young International Player of the Year twice, in 2022 and 2023.
A hat-trick for Brighton against Newcastle in September 2023 confirmed his status as he became the fourth-youngest player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick, aged 18 years and eleven months. There, and throughout the following year-and-a-half, Ferguson has developed into an established Premier League striker.
The latest chapter in the blossoming story of Ferguson was written at London Stadium on Monday, as our new No34 talked about his switch to the Club, being reunited with Head Coach Potter and his former Brighton coaches Billy Reid and Bruno Saltor, and why he has chosen to continue his football journey in Claret and Blue…
“It feels good. It's a very good feeling,” Ferguson smiled. “Coming here and looking around the stadium, it just shows you a glimpse of [how big the Club is].
“The opportunity to come here was definitely high up on the list for me, and obviously, I knew the Head Coach [Graham Potter], so I knew it would be good to be working under him again.
“If you come in somewhere in January, you want to settle in quickly, and if you know people there, it'll make it that bit easier.
“Bruno is a good guy. He loves working one-to-one, so when you're working with him, he's all about the little details and if you're doing it right or not. Billy [Reid] is a good lad as well, and he brings it all together, so it'll be good to see everyone again.”
There was a look of excitement when asked about the prospect of working with West Ham's talented squad of international players, and Ferguson says he is now ready to bring his goalscoring talent to London Stadium.
Whatever happens for the rest of this season, Hammers fans can expect a relentless desire to find the back of the net – it’s just what Ferguson does.
“I'd say I'm more of like an out-and-out number nine and one who wants to score goals,” stated Ferguson. “I’m here to do my best for the Club and see where we can go. I think it's one of the factors [behind his move] because coming here, you know you're going to be playing with players that can give you assists and have that quality.”
The Republic of Ireland striker made his long-awaited return as a 73rd-minute substitute at the weekend for Brighton, marking a 36-day wait for his 13th Premier League appearance of the season after his foot injury sustained in December.
But Ferguson says he is back now and eager to make up for lost time now in Claret and Blue.
“I just want to get back out there, be back playing football, and be back doing what I do best,” Ferguson said. “I played at the weekend there [for Brighton], and I'm back in some good shape.
“I just want to come in and do my best for the team, and hopefully we can excite the fans and see what the future holds.”
