It just goes to show that even transfers which look destined to succeed on paper, such as the deal which saw Evan Ferguson reunite with his former Brighton and Hove Albion boss Graham Potter at West Ham United, can still go horribly wrong.
Not so long ago, Graham Potter was one of the most highly-rated young coaches in European football. Evan Ferguson, one of the most highly-rated young strikers.
In successive Septembers between 2022 and 2023, Potter was handpicked to build upon Thomas Tuchel’s Champions League-winning legacy at Chelsea while Ferguson became the fourth-youngest player ever to score a Premier League hat-trick at the age of just 18.
Flash forward to the middle of 2025, however, Potter’s win rate in the West Ham United dugout sits sandwiched uneasily between that of Gianfranco Zola and the man he replaced in January, Julen Lopetegui.
The previously-£100 million-rated Ferguson, meanwhile, leaves the London Stadium with just one start, zero goals and 152 top-flight minutes to show from a loan spell only slightly less successful than that of Kalvin Phillips the year prior.
Bobby Zamora is a big fan of West Ham United misfit Evan Ferguson
Republic of Ireland assistant coach John O’Shea is backing Evan Ferguson to bounce back better than ever, provided he channels the first major misstep in his career in the correct manner.
Former Newcastle United, Manchester City and Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given, meanwhile, urges Brighton to make their plans with the 20-year-old clear as Ferguson looks to rediscover the qualities which earned him the admiration of West Ham cult hero Bobby Zamora.
“I think Evan just needs to find a home, if I’m being honest. Be it here or somewhere else,” Given says in quotes reported by the Scottish Sun. “I think he needs someone to say ‘You’re my player.’
“He went to West Ham for Graham Potter and you thought that was the perfect fit because Graham had him at Brighton, but then he didn’t play so much at West Ham either. Antonio was injured. Yet, they played Bowen and Kudus, not Ferguson.
“What happens next for Evan? I just think he needs to go, be it a loan for a season or some club buys him, and you build the team around him. I think he’s a top player, I really do.
“I did some Malaysian TV recently with Bobby Zamora. He goes into Brighton once a week and coaches the strikers. Bobby said Evan was the best finisher at the club.”
Shay Given thinks another Brighton loan exit is what Ferguson needs
Ferguson himself admitted he expected more from his spell in claret and blue. Graham Potter hauled the striker off at half-time during his only West Ham start, April’s 1-0 defeat by Wolves.
Potter was keen to point out, however, that Ferguson arrived at the London Stadium shortly after recovering from a cruciate ligament tear which brought a premature end to his 2023/24 campaign.
And at the age of only 20, the Drogheda-born youngster has more than enough time to put that West Ham disappointment behind him.
David Moyes’ Everton could hand Ferguson a fresh start next term.
“Maybe because he burst onto the scene, everyone’s been expecting so much so soon. With young players, you need to have a bit of time,” adds Ireland legend Given.
“I just feel he’s ready now to burst onto the scene for a full season with somebody. For us, with Ireland, it would be great too.
“I don’t know what the finances would be to buy him, but if you said for a loan for the season it would be perfect.”
