Evan Ferguson has joined AS Roma after the Serie A giants agreed a season-long loan with Brighton and Hove Albion.
Roma have reportedly paid a loan fee of €3 million without agreeing to a €37 million buyout clause for the Republic of Ireland international.
Ferguson travelled to Rome on Sunday to agree terms and undergo a medical, having failed to convince Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler of his value to a club where he is contracted until June 2029.
“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,” said Hürzeler.
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“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’s long-term future at Brighton, where he signed from Bohemians in 2021, remains uncertain as Greek teenager Charalampos Kostoulas was recently signed for €35 million to compete for an attacking role with Danny Welbeck and Georgino Rutter.
A major draw for Ferguson, as the 20-year-old attempts to revive his career away from the Premier League following knee and ankle injuries, is the opportunity to work with Gian Piero Gasperini.
The 67-year-old coach replaced Claudio Ranieri in The Eternal City this summer, on a three-year deal, after a storied career that included guiding Atalanta to a Europa League title in 2024.
Roma finished seventh in Serie A last season, to qualify for the Europa League.
“I think when a club like Roma, one of the biggest in Europe, is interested in you, it’s hard to turn it down, especially if you understand that the club really wants you and how positive this experience could be for you, your career, and the club,” Ferguson said.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for me, and I thank the owners and everyone who works for the club for welcoming me here.
“Obviously, before signing for a club, you have to look at who the coach is and how he manages the team, and I think that at this stage of my career, Gasperini could be an excellent person to play for, to work with, and to learn from, given that he obviously has an excellent track record with strikers. I hope the same goes for me.”
“When I landed, I immediately understood the local culture and, in particular, how important this club is.”
The move puts Ferguson on a similar path to legends of Irish football, although he is aiming for an Italian experience closer to what Liam Brady achieved across seven seasons, when he helped Juventus capture two Scudettos, rather than Robbie Keane’s six-month spell at Inter Milan in 2000.
There are undeniable parallels between the careers of Ferguson and Keane, as they both moved to Serie A clubs at 20 years old.
Before the 2000/01 season Keane joined an Inter side managed by the great Marcelo Lippi, for a £12 million fee, only to see Marco Tardelli replace Lippi by October.
Keane was gone the following December, loaned to Leeds United having only started four Serie A matches. He wasted no time reminding people about his talent at Elland Road, scoring six goals in his first eight appearances.
Before Keane signed for Inter he had six goals in 18 caps for Ireland and scored 12 goals in the Premier League for Coventry City. Ferguson leaves Brighton with 13 goals in the English top flight, and five for Ireland from 22 caps.
“As a young player you have to go on these journeys,” said Keane earlier this year. “Take a few loans. Take a few hits and then go to a club where you feel valued and are the main guy.”
The Ferencvaros manager was referring to another young Irish striker, Troy Parrott, but the message remains the same.
At Inter, Keane was up against Christian Vieri, Hakan Sukur and Álvaro Recoba for game time. Currently, Ferguson must find a way past Artem Dovbyk as Eldor Shomurodov and Tammy Abraham have both been loaned to Turkish clubs, Basaksehir and Beşiktaş.
Dovbyk will wear the number nine shirt with Ferguson taking number 11.
The Ukrainian international signed from Girona for €38.5 million in 2024 and while he only scored 17 goals across all competitions last season he netted 24 times in La Liga in 2023/24.
Roma’s preseason friendlies against Kaiserslautern this Saturday, Lens, Aston Villa and Everton should give Gasperini a chance to settle on his starting centre forward before the Serie A campaign begins against Bologna on August 23rd with over 62,000 expected at the Stadio Olimpico.
Ferguson will be keen to hit the ground running in Italy following a six-month loan to West Ham United when he failed to score after making just eight appearances under his former Brighton manager Graham Potter. He only completed the full 90 minutes once last season, for club and country, raising questions about his match fitness following repeated injury lay-offs over the previous 18 months.
Since 2020, Roma is owned by American businessman and film producer Dan Friedkin with The Friedkin Group also taking control of AS Cannes, a team in the French fourth tier, in 2023 and Everton in December 2024.
