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Irish Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ferguson likened to an all-time great Argentina striker by Roma teammate
Evan Ferguson has been compared to one of Argentina's greatest ever strikers, who became a legend in Serie A and had a spell at Roma. Matias Soule lined out alongside the Irishman on Saturday in a pre-season friendly win away to German side Kaiserslautern - and the pair linked up well together, with Soule almost scoring off a Ferguson pass. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder, who joined Roma last summer and scored five goals in 39 appearances in all competitions, is already a big fan of the Boys in Green star. So much so that he likened Ferguson to 1990s hero Gabriel Batistuta, who was his country's top goalscorer on 56 goals before Lionel Messi smashed his record. Batistuta spent nine seasons at Fiorentina, scoring 205 goals in 331 appearances, before moving to Roma in 2000, where he scored 21 goals in 32 games in the first of three seasons in the Italian capital. He had a spell on-loan at Inter Milan during his final season at Roma. Soule also compared the Meathman's style to Gonzalo Higuain, the former Juventus and Real Madrid star, who was also prolific during his time in Italy, where he scored 157 goals in 295 games. Soule was speaking after the Kaiserslautern game when he said: 'Ferguson has had a great impact and is a great guy. 'He's technically very strong, he's powerful, and I hope he can give his best to Roma. His style reminds me of Batistuta and Higuain.' Gabriel Batistuta (left) and Vincenzo Montella of AS Roma (Image: Claudio Villa) Also commenting on Ferguson's second outing in a Roma jersey was manager Gian Piero Gasperini. He outlined what the 20-year-old would have to offer his side over the coming season. 'Ferguson is a pressing striker and can create these situations. If you win the ball that high up, it's clear you have a chance of scoring,' he said. Ferguson's 16th minute winner against Kaiserslautern was the result of his pressing style, as he forced both defender Maxwell Gyamfi and goalkeeper Julian Krahl into mistakes, before robbing the keeper and slotting the ball into an empty net. Gasperini continued: 'We need to understand him and exploit him in depth. In some situations, we could have looked for him more. 'We need to get used to letting the striker play a bit more, but that's part of the things I try to address during the match.' As for Roma's overall performance, he added: 'Am I satisfied? Yes. It's clearly a preparation match, but we played well on the pitch. The team already has its own identity, but everything can be improved, including our condition. 'We undoubtedly did some good things. A lot of players came on towards the end, and it's clear that in the second half, when the whole team changes, it becomes a different kind of match. But these guys did give us some indications. 'We can't ask for intensity now; we're only two weeks into training with the load. This was our first real match, and we played in a difficult environment. There were a lot of people, and the fans were very enthusiastic. 'We can't ask for much in that regard, but we must always have the ambition to make a few mistakes when we're close to the penalty area.' Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
Irish Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ferguson shows why he is perfect fit for Gasperini as he nets winner for Roma
Evan Ferguson has continued his blistering start to life as a Roma player by scoring the only goal in their pre-season friendly win away to Kaiserslautern. The Serie A side flew into Germany for Saturday evening's clash, as pre-season preparations intensified under new boss Gian Piero Gasperini. And it took the Ireland striker just 16 minutes to fire his new club into the lead. He won't have many easier finishes, but it was his pressing that forced the two errors that gave him the chance to slot the ball into an empty net. First up, he shadowed left-sided centre-half Maxwell Gyamfi, who feeling the Meathman breathing down his neck played a poor pass back to his goalkeeper Julian Krahl. As Ferguson chased the backpass, Krahl, stretching to keep the ball in play, took a heavy touch, allowing the on-loan Brighton man to steal possession. The 20-year-old then had the easiest of finishes, as he rolled the ball into the net. His goal would have delighted Gasperini, with the new Roma manager's philosophy on display right from the start against the 2. Bundesliga side. Gasperini's Atalanta side prided themselves on a high-octane pressure game - and that's how Roma played yesterday, with Ferguson leading the press. The goal came straight from Gasperini's tactical blueprint, with the Irishman forcing errors by not giving Gyamfi or his goalkeeper a second to settle on the ball. And he continued to harass and pressure the Kaiserslautern defence for the remainder of his time on the pitch, with Ferguson among the first batch of substitutes to be made on the hour mark. You could see from Saturday's performance why the new Roma boss made the Ireland star his top striker priority. Ferguson's aggression and energy is exactly what Gasperini is after - and if he takes his early pre-season form into the new Serie A campaign, the €40million option to buy will seem like a bargain. He came into this game on the back of a sensational debut, albeit against lowly opposition - Serie D side UniPomezia. However, his four goals and an assist, after just one training session with his new teammates, had Roma fans and Italian media gushing over the Irishman. Kaiserslautern provided a much bigger challenge, even if they are not the club they once were. Although a pre-season friendly, the game was played in front of a full-house at the Fritz-Walter Stadion, and Roma's early pressing gave the hosts plenty of early problems. The Italians continued to dominate after Ferguson's opener, and while Manu Kone headed a Matias Soule free kick onto the roof of the net, it was the Irishman who looked the most dangerous of Roma's attacking players. With his confidence sky high, he seemed to be trying to carve out shooting opportunities every time he got on the ball. On one occasion, he picked up possession to the right of the area, dribbled past one challenge, but was stopped by a second as he ran along the 18-yard line, looking for an opening. He almost got another bite at it, though, poking the ball away from the defender, but it broke kindly for the goalkeeper. Ferguson continued to sniff out potential openings, while two heavy challenges late in the first-half knocked him to the ground. He linked up well with his teammates and teed up Soule for a chance that forced a fine save from Krahl. Shortly before he was substituted, he was shown a yellow card. Kaiserslautern's Marlon Ritter smashed the ball straight into the forward, who ran across him as he prepared to take a free-kick. Ferguson reacted by shoving the Kaiserslautern captain, and both players were cautioned. It wasn't long after that Gasperini made four changes, including Ferguson, but he will be delighted with his 60-minute runout. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
Irish Daily Mirror
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Hurzeler message to Evan Ferguson leaves fans guessing over long-term future
Fabian Hurzeler has given his reaction to Evan Ferguson's departure from Brighton on a season-long loan deal to Serie A giants Roma. The Ireland striker has made the move to Italy, with Roma paying a loan fee of around €3million to the Premier League side. And they will have the option to buy Ferguson at the end of his spell for almost €40million next summer. However, Hurzeler's remarks suggest that he is open to the Meathman returning to Brighton next year. Ferguson's playing time under the former St Pauli boss last season was restricted as an ankle injury meant he missed most of pre-season training. He made just two starts and 11 substitute appearances, before a loan move to West Ham that came after more ankle woes that ruled him out for most of January. Hurzeler acknowledged the 'challenging period' that Ferguson went through during the German's first term in charge at Brighton. And he added that he would be keeping a close eye on the 20-year-old's progress over the next year at Roma. He told the Brighton website: 'Evan had a challenging period across the past season and a half, and it has been one disrupted by niggling injury issues which hasn't allowed him a run of games. 'He is over those injuries and has come back in great shape. Now he really wants to play regularly. This is an exciting opportunity in a strong league and with the prospect of European football. 'We wish Evan well for the season ahead and will be watching his progress closely throughout the season.' Ferguson joined Brighton from League of Ireland side Bohemians in January 2021 and has made 80 appearances for the south coast club, scoring 17 goals. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
Irish Daily Mirror
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Evan Ferguson breaks his silence after season-long move to Roma confirmed
Evan Ferguson says he wants to prove himself at new club Roma by playing regularly and scoring goals in Serie A. The 20-year-old Ireland striker admits it was hard to turn down the opportunity to join one of European football's giants after his season-long move was confirmed today. "It's a big club and we want to finish as high as we can," said Ferguson, who has passed a medical. "When I came in we were talking about Champions League targets and getting back up there, that's the expectation of this season." "When you have a club like Roma, one of the biggest in Europe that are interested, it's hard to turn down – especially when you feel like they want you to come here, saying how good it could be for you and your career. For me it's a good opportunity." Ferguson, who began his senior career before moving to Brighton in early 2021, is looking to revitalise his career after injury and a lack of opportunities at Brighton and on loan to West Ham, where he only made eight appearances and started just once. He was greeted by hundreds of Roma fans on his arrival on Sunday and says he is inspired to prosper on this stage. "When I landed you could tell the culture straight away, how big the club is, from landing you can hear the fans, people and cameras and interviews," said Ferguson. AS Roma player Evan Ferguson during a training session at Centro Sportivo Fulvio Bernardini (Image: Luciano Rossi/AS Roma via Getty Images) "It's a big honour to come and play in front of people who want to see you do well. I can do a few different things but the main thing I want to do is score goals, prove myself and get back out there. I just want to get out there, play football and score goals." The Meathman will have to quickly prove himself as he is working with a new coach in Gian Piero Gasperini at a club with an established first-choice striker in Ukrainian international Artem Dobvyk. "Before you join a club you have to look at who the manager is and how the club is run, for me at this stage in my career he'd be a good man to play under, to work under and learn from, his history with striker is very good and hopefully I can be the same," Ferguson remarked. "It's a club full of good players, Dovyk as well, hopefully we can work well in training and have a good partnership, see what system the coach wants to play. "Hopefully I can do well and lead the path out here, hopefully we can have more (Irish) in the future. It's not an easy league, trying to compare it to the Premier League, the Italians love defending so I am sure it will be tough out there - especially in the heat." Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.
Irish Daily Mirror
08-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Brighton boss discusses selling players as Ferguson Roma link continues to grow
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler has confirmed that he will have to sell players in order to recoup some of the €80million he has spent on signings so far this summer. And one of the players that could follow Chelsea new-boy Joao Pedro out the door is Ireland striker Evan Ferguson, with Roma's interest in the 20-year-old continuing to grow. Hurzeler spent big to bring in Charalampos Kostoulas (€35million) from Olympiacos, Maxim de Cuyper (€20million) from Club Brugge and Tom Watson (€11.5million) from Sunderland, among others. And with less than two months remaining in the transfer window, he knows that he will have to clear out some of his current players if he wants to make any more additions. He said: 'We bought a lot of players. (But) to sell some players, I think that's the next part of this process, but we knew it would be a process. 'We are quite good at how we handled things so far, and I'm very pleased with Tony (Bloom - chairman), David (Weir - technical director), and Paul (Barber - chief executive), and how they handled things. 'So I'm quite pleased how we are, how the situation is at the moment, but for sure there still have to be some things done.' Brighton received almost €70m from Chelsea for Pedro, but more money will have to come into the coffers. Roma are weighing up a €30m swoop for Ferguson, who they see as someone who can challenge Artem Dovbyk for a first-team slot. Manager Gian Piero Gasperini has other summer targets, but is believed to be open to either a loan move or permanent swoop for the Meathman. Roma's interest in Ferguson goes back two years to when Jose Mourinho was in charge. At that stage, however, Ferguson had just signed a new long-term deal at Brighton and the club was in no mood to consider offers for the Ireland striker.
