Evan Ferguson to leave Brighton? West Ham & Southampton must be on alert | OneFootball

The Irish striker's immediate future at the AMEX Stadium is uncertain heading into the new season

With the Championship's summer transfer window now in full swing, plenty of clubs will be hoping to add further reinforcements as they look to plot routes towards promotion.

The 2026/27 season in the second tier will certainly be intriguing when it comes to the automatic promotion and, in particular, the play-off picture, with the post-season lottery now expanding from the customary four teams to a total of six.

This will allow the sides who finish seventh and eighth to compete in initial one-off 'eliminator' ties before going onto the usual semi-finals and then the final at Wembley Stadium.

As such, adding further depth and quality could make a real difference with so much money on the line when it comes to reaching the top-flight, and a drop into the Championship for those on the fringes of Premier League squads could also have a positive effect on their own careers.

And, it is fair to say that such feats could apply to Brighton and Hove Albion's Irish international forward, Evan Ferguson.

Evan Ferguson faces an uncertain future at Brighton and Hove Albion

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The 21-year-old has been on the Sussex club's books since 2021 after signing from League Of Ireland club, Bohemians, but has already endured a mixed career despite still being at such a relatively young age.

After making his Premier League debut in February 2022 against Burnley, the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons, in particular, were viewed as 'breakout' campaigns for the forward, having netted 12 league goals, as well as featuring in the UEFA Europa League under Roberto De Zerbi.

However, in the past two seasons, Ferguson's gametime has significantly diminished amid loan stints with West Ham United and Roma, and even though he netted five times in 22 appearances for the Italian giants, an ankle issue has hindered his pre-season preparation, and now his future at the AMEX is reportedly up for debate.

With that said, here are two Championship clubs who could be on red alert for a potential loan.

As previously mentioned, Ferguson did spend the second half of the 2024/25 season on loan at the London Stadium under former Brighton boss, Graham Potter, but only made eight appearances and failed to get on the scoresheet.

However, with the Hammers likely to reshuffle their squad further ahead of Deadline Day on September 1st, Nuno Espírito Santo should potentially have the 26-time international on a list of attacking targets after their relegation to the Championship.

After scoring six times in 18 league games after his move from Lazio in January, Taty Castellanos has been the subject of exit talk to the likes of Everton and Fulham, whilst fellow winter addition, Pablo Felipe, who struggled to make an impact, has also been linked with a departure.

As a result, the East London side have reportedly shown interest in Wilson Isidor, who netted 13 goals at Championship level two years ago for Sunderland, but even though Ferguson has never played in the division, his strength and hold-up play could be key in allowing the likes of Jarrod Bowen to also flourish with goals and assists, as the Hammers captain has been heavily predicted to do so.

A chance to also be the hero for a club who will be under pressure to achieve promotion could appeal to Ferguson, as well as righting the wrongs of his last spell in E20.

Southampton

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Southampton's pre-season preparations have been hindered by the Spygate fallout, with it still remaining to be seen if Tonda Eckert will remain as head coach, with reports suggesting the German could face a six-month FA ban.

Saints are also starting the campaign with a four-point deficit, but if star players are retained and the squad is added to, they will be expected to be in and amongst the promotion conversation once more.

However, the centre-forward department at St Mary's is in need of adding to right now, especially after the departure of Ross Stewart, which was met by mixed reactions.

Cameron Archer has also been heavily linked with a move to West Bromwich Albion, which would also see depth diminish significantly in Southampton's attacking ranks.

Therefore, with his contract further down the South Coast not expiring until the summer of 2029, a loan move for Ferguson must also be considered by Saints.

Like the aforementioned Stewart, Ferguson - at a much younger age - has strong physical attributes and has scored a variety of goal types when fully fit, meaning the chance to be on the end of Leo Scienza's high-quality service is a rather mouth-watering prospect.