Evan Ferguson made headlines recently after signing a new, long-term contract with Brighton; a deserved reward for one of the the most sought after teenagers in the Premier League.
It gives his club leeway to negotiate a favourable transfer sum when the big clubs inevitably come looking for the signature of Ferguson, but also gives security to the 19-year-old striker should the path that he is on take an unfavourable turn.
Brighton CEO Gives Evan Ferguson Update
While the club will want to hold on to Ferguson for as long as possible, and do not want to explicitly admit that they may lose him soon, Brighton CEO Paul Barber - in an interview with Soccerex TV- has given further indication of how he sees Ferguson's career panning out.
Evan's been with us for several years now and we've got a great connection, not just with him on a personal level, but also with his family, and that makes a big difference with his agent as well.
He's a great talent. He's still young. He's still got lots of things to learn. He'll be the first to say and the first to put himself forward to learn.
But he's also delivering in the Premier League, and when you've got a striker that's delivering at that level already, then he deserves to be paid what the going rate is for someone who is delivering at the highest level in the domestic game.
READ HERE: Daniel Sturridge's Evan Ferguson Comment Led To Hilarious Quip From Jamie Carragher
🗣️ Paul Barber tells me "timing" was key to signing Ansu Fati. "Ansu's a rare talent and he's come at a higher price."
Also says #BHAFC will be "respectful" of Evan Ferguson's ambitions. "At some point, Evan is going to be playing at a higher level if his trajectory continues." pic.twitter.com/KCw4wleTSh
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) November 21, 2023
"And you know, that's something which we're keen to do," continued Barber. "Make sure players are rewarded.
"When we can put them into long contracts to give them security, give us security, but very importantly, with young players, also to help them keep learning, because, at some point in the future, Evan's gonna be playing at an even higher level if his trajectory continues as it is.
"And we want to make sure that we do everything we can to prepare him for that. Not just on the field, but off the field as well, give him as much support as we can.
"I think, as I said before, that the higher level we can play at, the more chance we've got of keeping our top players for longer. It doesn't mean to say that we can keep them forever, because players will have their own ambitions of the club they want to play for, and the league they want to play in, and the competitions they want to perform in. And we have to be respectful of that.
"And I believe that, and Tony Bloom [Chairman of Brighton] believes, that if we can actually show players clear pathways, not just through our club but also beyond our club, that will actually help us attract other younger players in the future to our club as well.
"Which is a good thing because that keeps our model moving. It keeps our cycle progressing and hopefully it keeps us successful as well."
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