Chief Executive speaks on possible Chelsea signing

Brighton’s chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber has confirmed the club are in no hurry to cash in on CHELSEA target Evan Ferguson.

This month, we have been linked with a host of strikers including Ferguson, Ivan Toney, Victor Osimhen and Karim Benzema, with the team languishing down in ninth in the Premier League table.

Ferguson, 19, has established himself as one of the most promising young attackers in Premier League football since breaking into Brighton’s first-team in 2021, racking up 16 goals in 50 appearances for the Seagulls

However – despite all the speculation and rumours surrounding the lads future – Barber has opened up and claimed that the club are in no hurry to let their £100 million prized asset depart the club.

‘Someone like Evan, who is an incredible talent, he’s still got a way to go to learn his trade,’ Brighton CEO Barber told talkSPORT.

‘Letting him go at some point in the future is going to be I’m sure part of the overall plan, both from our side and Evan’s side.

‘But in the short-term we want to try and make sure we develop him the best we can.’

Amid the speculation – former Pat Nevin has encouraged his former club to make a move for the big striker – Speaking recently on OCB Scores, Pat Nevin said: “How many times have Chelsea gone down that route of signing an experienced striker? You think of the certain strikers that Chelsea have signed in the latter stages of their career, the likes of Shevchenko, I could go through a number of them.

“They are all brilliant but very few of them scored a lot of goals for the club. On the other hand, if you are creating a number of chances which Chelsea are, maybe you just need someone who can put the ball in the net.

“It’s such a short-termist thing and it’s so against what the ethos has been from the club. It would be surprising but does it mean it won’t happen?

‘Absolutely not. It would be interesting but Evan Ferguson would be the more obvious one to go for.

“If you’re going down the route of signing a young striker, Ferguson would be the one I would look at.

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‘Someone is needed upfront because when we’re asking Cole Palmer, CHELSEA’s best player, to play upfront with his back to goal, of course he can do it but you’re putting your best player out of position.”

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