Evan Ferguson could be sent back to Brighton & Hove Albion from AS Roma in January.
The 21-year-old is yet to score a competitive goal for Gian Piero Gasperini’s team after agreeing a season-long loan from the Seagulls in August.
Ferguson burst onto the Premier League scene in 2022, with Republic of Ireland international tipped as a future superstar, as a huge transfer price tag was placed on him by the Brighton hierarchy.
However, injuries and a major dip in form have undermined his progress at club level, and he also failed to score in a six-month loan stint at West Ham United in the second half of last season.
The move to Rome was viewed as a career crossroads for the Irishman and the early signs looked superb after bagging five goals in preseason.
That has not translated into Serie A or the Europa League, with just four starts overall and Gasperini has been vocal of his frustration on his No.11 after midweek loss to Viktoria Plzen.
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“We were weak in finishing, that’s true. There are lots of players up front who haven’t scored in a long time. We need to take a close look and ask why,” he said.
“I don’t think Ferguson and Artem Dovbyk [who only has one goal this season] are lacking psychologically; they’re playing and should be motivated.
“The Ukrainian is at least showing signs of physical fitness, while Ferguson is perhaps paying the price for his long inactivity and goal drought.”
Gasperini hints at reasons for Ferguson’s struggles at Roma
Gasperini’s comment comes on the back of Ferguson playing just 56 minutes in Roma’s last four matches and the situation shows little sign of change.
Reports from Sport Witness claim Roma will speak to Brighton over potentially severing his loan agreement at the start of 2026 with Dovbyk possibly sold to a Premier League club.
Despite his struggles in Rome, Ferguson remains the key man for his national team with three goals in four 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers across September and October.
Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson will need him in the right head space for two crucial qualifiers against Portugal and Hungary which will decide their faint qualification hopes for the tournament next summer.
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