Evan Ferguson has moved to West Ham United on a six-month loan deal, where he will reunite with his former Brighton and Hove Albion manager Graham Potter.
“Evan has had a frustrating 12 months with injuries and for him to get back to the level he’s capable of and to continue his development, he really needs to be playing regularly,” said Fabian Hurzeler, the current Brighton manager.
“This loan gives him that opportunity, and under a manager he knows well. We are looking forward to watching Evan’s progress over the next few months, and we wish him well.”
Ferguson returned from a six week lay-off, due to a recurring ankle issue, to play 17 minutes in Brighton’s 7-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. That could be his last game for the Seagulls as the club have completed a €24 million deal for Greek striker Stefanos Tzimas, with the 19-year-old joining from Nuremberg this summer.
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“Stefanos is an exceptional young talent, an out-and-out centre-forward with a natural ability to score goals,” said Hurzeler. “He will join up with us in the summer, ahead of next season.”
If tonight’s London derby between West Ham and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge comes too soon, the 20-year-old could feature against Nathan Collins’ Brentford this weekend as Potter has an injury crisis with German striker Niclas Füllkrug, Jamaica’s Michail Antonio and England international Jarrod Bowen all currently unavailable.
Brighton also signed Ireland under-21 defender Eiran Cashin on a five-and-a-half year deal.
Meanwhile, John Egan is close to joining Hull City from Burnley. The 32-year-old missed most of last year with an Achilles tendon injury before being released by Sheffield United, where he made more than 200 appearances.
Restricted to just one EFL Championship start this season, as Burnley manager Scott Parker prefers the younger centre-back pairing of Maxime Estève and CJ Egan-Riley, a fee of €260,000 will reportedly take Egan to the relegation strugglers. Hull are controlled by former Shelbourne owner Acun ılıcalı.
The former Republic of Ireland captain’s last of 36 caps came in the 2-1 loss to The Netherlands in October 2023.
