West Ham Graham Potter Evan Ferguson
(credit: Imago)
Max Wilkins
Fri 21 March 2025 20:20, UK
West Ham could be set to delay a permanent deal for Evan Ferguson once his loan spell comes to an end.
The Hammers signed the Republic of Ireland international on an initial loan deal from Brighton during the winter transfer window.
Despite being met with high expectations at the London Stadium, the 20-year-old has failed to net in his first six games in claret and blue under Graham Potter.
There is every chance that he could come good but another option could be taken up after an agent revealed Irons’ interest in a £25.1million-plus rated forward.
West Ham loanee Evan Ferguson (Credit: Imago)
West Ham could sign Yuri Alberto instead of Ferguson
The current loanee number nine has qualities and experience of working under Potter which may prove to stand him in good stead moving forward.
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
It is unclear as to how much the Seagulls could demand for his signature on a permanent basis but may be more than the Hammers are willing to pay.
If that is to be the case, Alberto could prove to be a wise signing from Corinthians given his electric goal record in Brazil in recent seasons.
The interest in the 24-year-old is real after his agent, Andre Cury revealed to Globo (19 March) that an offer came in from East London for the forward.
He said: “Yuri Alberto came to play for Corinthians for free, Corinthians spent zero reais. I already brought an offer of £25.1m (30m euros), with that offer alone he would have paid me and still made money.
“Our job is to take the offer to the club. We’ve had offers from Wolverhampton, West Ham, Betis, Spain, and we’ve had offers from Italy but it never happened. But the player is young, every player who’s in South America thinks about playing in Europe and it’s no different with Yuri.”
Yuri Alberto West Ham United Corinthians
West Ham have wanted to sign Yuri Alberto for some time.
Ferguson permanent deal on ice after Alberto update
If the Hammers do have a genuine interest in the Brazilian striker, it certainly makes sense to hold off on making a decision about the Irishman.
The young forward could come good between now and the end of the campaign and has shown signs of what he could do at the London Stadium.
With that being said, the addition of Alberto could prove to be a smart piece of business which transforms the Irons moving into the new season.
Yuri Alberto Evan Ferguson
Matches played 165 85
Goals 53 17
Assists 14 5
Yuri Alberto v Evan Ferguson stats (last four seasons)
His goal record can not be ignored and could also help unlock the talents of Luis Guilherme who has struggled to acclimatise to life in the Premier League.
It will certainly be interesting to see who Potter chooses as a partner for the prolific Jarrod Bowen but there is no doubt that there is good options on the table.
Related Posts