Evan Ferguson continues to defy logic. The 18-year-old added another golazo to his impressive CV last night.
Inevitably, speculation is rising about the club Ferguson will join after Brighton.
It's been reported that the England-ineligible striker is attracting the interest of the Premier League's upper crust, not to mention the European giants like Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Last night on beIN Sports, after watching Chelsea stutter to another goalless performance at Stamford Bridge, the once-esteemed double act of Richard Keys and Andy Gray suggested the former Bohs prodigy could be the man to solve Chelsea's goalscoring woes.
Here's how the chat went:
Keys: What I'm saying is, everybody's looking for a centre forward. They are few and far between.
Gray: Evan Ferguson.
Keys: Well, that's what I'm saying. If you see a little nugget like that., go and get him.
Gray: So they might think Broja is that little nugget.
Keys: Evan Ferguson's not little. But he's a centre forward with touch. He scores goals. He leads the line. He's a proper 9.
You can watch the clip here.
"He scores goals, he leads the line he's a 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 9!"@richardajkeys suggests Republic of Ireland international striker Evan Ferguson as the ideal candidate to lead the line for Chelsea. #beINPL #CFC pic.twitter.com/hSfgA0wrFc
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) April 5, 2023
On one level, it's perfectly logical.
Listen to Daniel Sturridge assess Chelsea's woes in front of goal last night and Ferguson-to-Chelsea makes a lot of sense. Chelsea are gifted with talent on the flanks and in midfield and sorely lack a striker who can play through the middle and finish.
Is Romelu Lukaku the answer? 👀
Daniel Sturridge breaks down Chelsea's struggles in front of goal... 🔎 pic.twitter.com/yX7H3nqX2H— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 4, 2023
HOWEVER.
Joining Chelsea would be an absolutely calamity for Ferguson. The club is famously a graveyard for strikers. What evidence is there to think Ferguson could succeed where the likes of Lukaku, Morata, Aubameyang et al have failed in recent years? Obviously Ferguson has different career profile to those strikers, but that brings us to another reason for Ferguson to avoid Stamford Bridge. The club is in utter turmoil. Its run by a billionaire with no idea about football. Its players are overpaid and spoiled. They undermined Graham Potter with dumb and obvious nicknames. Ferguson is blessed to be an incubator like Brighton where he can hone his skills and develop his clear genius at his own pace.
Another season at the Amex before heading off to bigger and better things at one of Europe's top clubs: that would be ideal. Joining the toxic Chelsea project sounds dangerous in the extreme.
Ferguson has already flashed wisdom beyond his years. We think he'll continue to do so as football's biggest clubs queue around him.
