Brighton aim to make Evan Ferguson ‘one of the strongest strikers in Europe’

Evan Ferguson has penned a new contract to keep the Republic of Ireland striker at Brighton and Hove Albion until 2028.

Manchester United were, reportedly, front of the queue to sign the 18-year-old this summer but Brighton have staved off interest by offering Ferguson a lucrative new deal. He previously signed professional terms last October that ran until 2026.

Head coach Roberto De Zerbi said: “Evan’s contract extension is great news. He trains and plays like a senior player with many years of experience and has become an important member of the squad.

“The aim is to help him become one of the strongest strikers in Europe. Brighton have the right conditions for young players and he is 18, we mustn’t forget that.

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“He is playing very well. Man United [in last weekend’s FA Cup semi-final defeat at Wembley] was bad for us without him, because he has different qualities, can give us different solutions in the last 20 metres.”

Ferguson is expected to return from an ankle injury shortly but eight goals and three assists in 19 first-team appearances, along with a respectable competitive debut for Ireland against France last month, seemingly attracted interest from Bayern Munich and Napoli.

The teenager joined Brighton in 2021 from Bohemians, where he made his debut age 14 against Chelsea, with former manager Graham Potter making him the club’s youngest ever Premier League player in February 2022.

Ireland under-21 midfielder Andrew Moran has also signed a contract to play for the Seagulls until June 2027. The 19-year-old, who joined from Bray Wanderers in 2020, has seven goals and six assists in 17 Premier League 2 appearances.

“Andrew has progressed really well through the academy and has impressed Roberto as part of our first-team squad this season,” said Brighton technical director David Weir. “He has worked really hard to earn this new contract and now his challenge is to break through into the team.”