John Aldridge: Why Evan Ferguson's transfer has come at the perfect moment for Ireland
Ireland fans have been desperate for the striker to continue his early form in the Premier League. Photo: Reuters
Evan Ferguson is set to complete his move to Serie A giants Roma after a deal was agreed with Brighton and former Ireland striker John Aldridge has declared the move is perfectly timed.
With Ireland's World Cup qualifiers getting underway at the start of September, Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson needs his first choice striker to be firing ahead of what could be a crunch clash against Hungary in Dublin.
After his progress stalled at Brighton and a loan move to West Ham in the first half of 2025 failed to reap rewards, Ferguson made it clear he wanted to move to Italy and Aldridge believes the fresh start could be just what he needs.
'Ferguson is on his way to Roma after agreeing a loan deal and it will be fascinating to see how the young man fares in Italy's top flight,' said Aldridge.
'We forget that Ferguson is still only 20-years-old, as he broke through at Brighton at such a young age and gave us all hope that he could be the answer to Ireland's scoring problems.
'He has lost his way over the last 18 months and that may be partly because of the ankle injury he had last year and probably also a dip in confidence as he hasn't played too often.
'A change of scenery and a move to a new league might be just what he needs and Serie A will give him some new experience that can only help his development.
'From an Irish perspective, we need Ferguson to get back to his best because we all know goals have been a problem for the national team since Robbie Keane's retirement almost a decade ago.
'The World Cup qualifiers are just around the corner, so hopefully Ferguson can settle quickly at his new club and start scoring goals because this lad has the potential to be a huge asset for Ireland.'
Ferguson is expected to fly to Italy on Sunday to complete his loan move to Roma, with a reported €40m deal agreed if the move becomes permanent next summer.
Evan Ferguson's loan move finally gets the green light as he prepares to fly out for a medical
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