Graham Potter is not thought to view Brighton loan star Evan Ferguson as the long term striker solution for his West Ham side.
Leeds United could make a summer swoop for West Ham striker Evan Ferguson, should the Yorkshire outfit achieve promotion from the Championship come the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
The Yorkshire Evening Post carry reports of the transfer interest and tout that it would be a ‘sensational’ move for Leeds United. Daniel Farke’s side lead the Championship table are now five points clear of Sheffield United in third, with seven points from the remaining four fixtures virtually guaranteeing promotion.
Ferguson is on loan at West Ham from Brighton, having made the move from the south coast to London during the January transfer window. The 20-year-old had struggled for game time under Fabian Hurzeler and came in as an emergency gap-fill for Graham Potter, who had been without the injured Niclas Fullkrug and Michail Antonio.
Leeds United plot move for West Ham loan star
The striker has not hit the ground running at the London Stadium and is yet to score a goal despite his six appearances for the side. That is not thought to have deterred Leeds United, who are expected to rival Everton for the Ferguson transfer.
TeamTALK has claimed that the forward, who was valued as high as £100 million just last summer, would now cost just £45 million. Ferguson is not expected to be part of Hurzeler’s plans at the AMEX Stadium next season, which could point to a sale
West Ham could have been front of the queue given Ferguson’s current loan deal. The Hammers do not hold the option or obligation to buy the player but would have been in a strong negotiating position with Brighton.
GiveMeSport last week claimed that Graham Potter had no intention of pushing the club to cough up the £45 million to bring Ferguson back to the London Stadium, given his struggles in front of goal. Instead, that report believed that West Ham are keen on another young Premier League striker in Ipswich Town man Liam Delap – although have competition from several first team rivals.
Graham Potter on Evan Ferguson future at the London Stadium
Speaking in February about a possible permanent move for Ferguson, Potter said: “I don’t think we should think like that. We should think about how we can help Evan enjoy his football, bring the quality that we know he has. Let’s just focus on that. Let’s focus on having the best 14 matches we can.
“Sometimes with young players we jump in too quickly. I think until you’ve made 50 appearances, it’s always a good number to go: ‘OK, now we can assess where things are.’ And if you’ve had some injuries it’s not easy.
“Sometimes in football if you’re hot, you’re hot and when you’re not, you’re not. We can go quickly from one extreme to another, which is silly because the player quality is still there. We had these conversations even when he was 17 at Brighton around: ‘Let’s not sign a centre-forward because we’ve got Evan coming through.’
“We had huge belief in him. But injuries can stop you and all of a sudden you haven’t played as much, you haven’t scored as much and then you’re not quite the same thing. But the quality is still there. It’s our job to get him on the pitch, help him enjoy his football.”
In other news, this is where the West Ham 2018 youth XI is now – from Declan Rice to Celtic treble and Charlton Athletic promotion push.
