The kid, who once played against Chelsea when he was 14 years old, scored a hat-trick for Brighton this past weekend.
Evan Ferguson certainly seems to be Brighton and Hove Albion’s next major prospect to emerge. He made headlines over the weekend after scoring his first hat-trick in the Premier League to help the South Coast club destroy Newcastle United. The Seagulls defeated the Magpies 3-1 on Saturday afternoon at the Amex Stadium, making up for their unexpected home loss to West Ham the previous weekend.
Shortly before the half-hour mark, Ferguson opened the scoring by converting a predatory instinct shot from close range after Nick Pope deflected Billy Gilmour’s long-range attempt. The 18-year-old went on to double his team’s advantage in the 65th minute after being given way too much time and space to take the ball, turn, and then shoot accurately from about 30 yards out into the bottom corner.
Five minutes later, the Irish prodigy sealed the victory by scoring his third goal, completing his hat-trick, as his left-footed shot deflected off Fabian Schar and into the goal. Even though Callum Wilson scored a late consolation, this was enough to secure the victory.
It appears Ferguson may very well be heading for the top based on the evidence of this most recent outstanding performance, and we all know what that means. He will undoubtedly be of great interest as a potential future acquisition for many big Premier League clubs given his status as a Brighton star. Chelsea comes to mind as an example.
As a 14-year-old, Evan Ferguson starts against Chelsea.
If Chelsea’s scouts had paid a bit more attention back in 2019, they might have been able to prevent that potential future financial damage. In fact, a young 14-year-old named Ferguson came off the bench for Bohemians FC in the 1-1 friendly match, which was Frank Lampard’s first game in command of the Blues (during his first tenure as manager).
Even though he may have just been a teenager at the time, the Irish striker attracted everyone’s attention because, despite his youth, he didn’t appear physically out of place. He gladly engaged in combat with older Chelsea players while wearing the number 12 jersey. He also had a nice touch, and at one point he even dribbled past several opponents before curling a shot from the edge of the box just past the post.
He also “caught the eye after being introduced by Keith Long in the 67th minute, with his cute stepover allowing Eric Molloy in to score Bohs’ equalizer in the 89th minute,” according to the Irish Times, even though it isn’t included in the YouTube video below.
Evan Ferguson has scored how many goals for Brighton?
When Ferguson made his League of Ireland debut away at Derry City in September 2019, shortly after the season had officially started, he broke the record for the youngest player to play for the Bohemian senior side. And while Brighton was generally astute in signing the teenager in January 2021, Chelsea’s hiring staff was too slow to capitalize on his potential.
When the Seagulls defeated Cardiff City 2-0 in the Carabao Cup that August, he made his first senior appearance for the English team. A year later, in August 2022, he scored his first competitive goal in the same cup when the Seagulls defeated Forest Green Rovers 3-0.
The striker, who is only 18 years old, has ten Premier League goals and two assists to his credit in just 24 appearances. He also has 14 goals and four assists in 33 games across all competitions for Brighton, after scoring a similar 18 goals in 39 games while representing the U21s.
How has Evan Ferguson been discussed?
Ferguson has garnered a lot of plaudits in the media as a result of his most recent performance, which is understandable. For example, host Gary Lineker commented on the most recent episode of Match Of The Day (via The Argus): “Eighteen years old, I think he could be a little special.” In a later statement, he said, “I don’t want to get carried away, but I see a hint of Haaland about him.” Ian Wright added his congratulations, saying, “He has everything. He moves well, makes a wonderful initial impression, and assumes excellent postures. He will only continue to improve.
The 18-year-old is the only other adolescent to score a hat-trick in the Premier League, joining former Liverpool colleagues Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen as well as former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Chris Bart-Williams (via Optus.Sport).
The Republic of Ireland international’s manager, Roberto De Zerbi, praised him after the game as well, telling the press that “his improvement is important for him, for us, and for his career because he’s working to complete his qualities, not just score, because he can become big, big, big.” His abilities would be sufficient to make him a superb player and one of Europe’s best scorers. His birth year is 2004. I’m not sure how frequently young guys like Evan get goals like this during their careers.
While James Milner, a teammate, talked of playing with renowned Premier League strikers, including Ferguson. He admitted to the media team at Brighton, “I did play with Alan Shearer. “They both score goals really well. However, I don’t really want to compare him to anyone because doing so will put pressure on him, and I don’t want his head to get too large! He is a high talent, though, and his career has gotten off to an amazing start. I hope he has a long one ahead of him.
