West Ham agree first of up to THREE striker signings as top sources confirm Evan Ferguson formula

West Ham have won the race for Evan Ferguson ahead of rival suitors like Chelsea, with a deal now agreed for the striker to join from Brighton and various insiders revealing what the formula of the move will be.

Ferguson has been a big topic this transfer window. Once touted as a player who had the potential to be worth £100m in the future, he has been made available by Brighton after a stagnation in his form.

Plenty of clubs have been queuing up for Ferguson, who has been looked at by the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Bournemouth.

But it is leading suitors West Ham who have got the outcome they wanted all along and won the race to sign Ferguson, as initially broken by Sky Sports News.

West Ham are said to have now agreed a deal to sign Ferguson. Either permanent or loan moves were being considered, but the final formula will be the latter.

Indeed, as Fabrizio Romano has also confirmed, Ferguson will be spending the rest of the season at West Ham on a straight loan, meaning there is no option or obligation to buy written into the deal.

That’s backed up by David Ornstein too, who confirms the Republic of Ireland international will take his medical today.

Interestingly, Sky Sports News claims he could be followed by one striker now and another in the summer. West Ham are said to be in talks for Lorient’s Eli Junior Kroupi in what would be a permanent move now, while they are also in talks to seal a pre-contract agreement for Celtic’s Daniel Cummings.

Ferguson set to seal Potter reunion

Only time will tell if there is a future at West Ham beyond this season for Ferguson, but his fate for the next six months has been sealed.

Romano issued a slightly more cautious version of events than Sky Sports News, stating that West Ham are ‘advancing’ in their negotiations but ‘still working on key details’ – including talks with the player himself.

But Ferguson is keen on a move to West Ham, sources have already told TEAMtalk – for two main reasons.

First of all, he wanted to stay in the Premier League, despite also being linked with Marseille and Bayer Leverkusen.

But even more significantly, a move to West Ham will reunite him with Graham Potter, his former head coach at the Amex Stadium.

Ferguson believes Potter could get the best out of him again as the 20-year-old seeks to kick on with his development.

Potter gave Ferguson his Brighton debut during the 2021-22 season. He actually only played five times in total under Potter before the manager left for Chelsea. During their time together, Ferguson scored his first senior goal and also got two assists.

TIMELINE: Evan Ferguson’s story so far

➡️ Ferguson made his debut in senior football at the age of 14 in a friendly for Irish side Bohemians against Chelsea in July 2019.

➡️ His first competitive appearance came just two months later. In January 2021, he joined Brighton’s academy – but by that August he was already making his first-team debut in the EFL Cup.

➡️ In February 2022, he made his Premier League debut as a 17-year-old.The 2022-23 season saw Ferguson build his reputation, as he scored his first senior goal for Brighton that August in the EFL Cup.

➡️ Brighton rewarded Ferguson with a long-term contract on his 18th birthday in October 2022.

➡️ He became Brighton’s youngest ever Premier League scorer with a goal against Arsenal on New Year’s Eve in 2022 – and he scored again on his first Premier League start against Everton three days later.

➡️ After finishing the 2022-23 season with 10 goals, he only scored six the next time around – half of those coming in one game as he scored a hat-trick against Newcastle in September 2023.

➡️ Ferguson endured an 11-month goal drought between November 2023 and October 2024, leading Brighton to consider letting him go in the January transfer window.

➡️ West Ham reached an agreement to sign Ferguson in February 2025 after he attracted interest from various other clubs.