Evan Ferguson's change of scene ideal for player stuck in a rut
The ancient city of Rome has produced oodles of history within cultural, political and sporting contexts and Ferguson is there to pen his own personal chapter.
For someone who's only 20, it seemed the burden of a nation has long rested on the striker's shoulders.
An Ireland debutant and Premier League hat-trick hero by 18, the world was his to conquer.
Inter Milan or Juventus would have come calling had that trajectory been maintained but the common pitfalls of injury and managerial upheaval mean his loan switch to AS Roma is convenient for both parties.
New manager Gian Piero Gasperini, after working wonders at Atalanta for nine years, wants a project player to nurture while a change of scene is ideal for a player stuck in a rut in England.
The beaming smile which stretched across Ferguson's face as he walked towards an adoring welcome party of fans at Ciampino Airport on Sunday night indicated a relief on his part.
He was brought to the club's Centro Sportivo Fulvio Bernardini training facility on Monday to complete his medical. An announcement finalising his season-long loan deal is imminent to facilitate him starting to train on Tuesday.
Roma are a club possessing a decorated past, their third Serie A title claimed in 2001, and still remain at the sporting epicentre of the Italian capital. Their average home attendance last season, 62,758, was double the turnout for his parent club, Brighton and Hove Albion.
Claudio Ranieri came out of retirement last November to succeed sacked Ivan Juric and by steering Roma to fifth, he bequeathed Europa League qualification before stepping upstairs into an executive role.
They have enjoyed recent European success, José Mourinho following up the 2022 inaugural Conference League triumph by reaching the Europa League final 12 months later.
Uefa's system for rewarding the major countries decrees they'll start this season's Europa League as one of the 12 teams granted direct access to the League phase beginning on September 24.
Ferguson's arrival forms part of a summer of turnover at Roma. American owners Friedkin Group, who added Everton to its stable last December, engineered the managerial change along with returning Frederic Massara to the director of football role following stints at AC Milan and Stade Rennais.
There's also a new look to the squad shaping up too.
Gone are last season's strike pairing, Eldor Shomurodov and Tammy Abraham. Both have been loaned to Turkish clubs, İstanbul Başakşehir and Beşiktaş respectively and the expectation is that they won't be back.
Abraham's departure frees up the No 9 shirt, which Artem Dovbyk has claimed for the new season officially kicking off against Bologna on August 23. The Ukrainian's No 11 jersey has been snapped up by Ferguson.
Moroccan Neil El Aynaoui was in the door just before him, the midfielder completing a €25m transfer from Lens to don the No 8 shirt.
The same outlay is anticipated for Wesley França, the 21-year-old Brazilian full-back on his way from Flamengo.
Red Bull Salzburg's Oscar Gloukh is another target, despite a €15m big being accepted by Ajax.
He's an attacking midfielder, just like Pablo Dybala, the 31-year-old whose penalty in the shoot-out helped Argentina win the 2024 World Cup.
A younger Argentinian to follow the same path from Juventus last year, Matias Soulé, came with a big price tag of €30m and reputation. Both will be relied upon to supply Ferguson with the firepower to flourish.
Italian strength weaves through the team's spine. Gianluca Mancini is the vice-captain at the back in front of fellow Azzurri internationals, captain Lorenzo Pellegrini and Bryan Cristante.
Sunday's first pre-season friendly resulted in a 14-0 stroll over Trastevere. Monday marked a day off before the squad, including Ferguson, return to the pitch to resume their schedule.
Another midweek workout is planned before they travel to Germany for Saturday's friendly against FC Kaiserslautern – the Fritz-Walter-Stadion being the potential location for Ferguson's first involvement in Giallorossi's famous garb.
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