Evan Ferguson’s sublime hat-trick against Newcastle in September placed him among some elite company, the Irish striker becoming only the fourth player to hit a Premier League treble before the age of 19.
The trio before him were the much-missed Chris Bart-Williams, Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen.
As fantastic a talent Bart-Williams was, it is of course the latter two who are most pertinent to the discussion of the teenager’s dramatic emergence as a forward of genuine note, both former Liverpool aces defining themselves by goals at such a young age.
Because Ferguson too is a goal-scorer first and foremost, for all that he is an integral part of a convoluted template at Brighton that has got tacticians in a tizzy and placed the Seagulls high in the Premier League betting.
At 6ft 2, he possesses the physique to bully defenders, which makes him an ideal asset to hold the ball up, allowing the likes of Gross and Gilmour to link up with play.
He is also nuanced enough to fully submerge himself in Roberto De Zerbi’s set-up across all phases, utilising his deft touch and innate spatial awareness to very good effect.
Additionally, he presses like a demon.
But driving him on, his raison d’etre, is always to get on the end of chances and put the ball in the back of the net, and in this regard he is a rare breed with rarer ability.
Indeed, it could be argued that Ferguson’s greatest attributes – namely his positioning and anticipation inside the box; a willingness to play the percentages when committing to a run; along with some good old-fashioned accuracy in his shot-taking – marks him out as a throwback to the poachers of yesteryear, with so many number nines these days essentially prolific playmakers.
Certainly, Alan Shearer believes this to be the case, the archetypal front-man going almost dewy-eyed and nostalgic recently when singing Ferguson’s praises in the Athletic.
“We’re living in an era of agile, versatile, creative forwards,” he wrote. “Not every player burns with the desire to score whatever the circumstances or cost, but Ferguson has it.”
And he really does, with every stat accrued impressing, then taken to a whole other level when we acknowledge his tender age.
It was only two years ago that he was plucked from Bohemians, having made just three outings for the League of Ireland club. Last autumn he was still ineligible to vote.
In 2022/23, no other teen in the Premier League had more shots on target, scored more goals or created more big chances. This time out, he is officially the most prolific teenager across Europe’s big five leagues.
All of which naturally, has led to people speculating just how lofty his development ceiling is, while his remarkable rise has resulted in inevitable comparisons being made to Harry Kane, and unfair comparisons to Erling Haaland.
Regardless, almost for sure, Evan Ferguson is going to be a bona fide superstar soon enough, and you will get a short price in the football betting that his best years will be spent away from the South Coast, no matter how brilliantly Brighton are performing at present.
The fee will likely be astronomical.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
