Evan Ferguson hints at permanent West Ham transfer - 'See what the future holds'

Evan Ferguson was West Ham United’s only signing in the January transfer window, arriving on loan from Brighton, while James Ward-Prowse returned to the club from his loan at Nottingham Forest. The young Irish forward had just made his return from injury during Brighton’s 7-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest before completing his temporary move to London. He came on as a substitute for the last 17 minutes of the game, in what was his first appearance in over a month.

The Hammers will play their next game in the Premier League on February 15 against Brentford. There’s a good chance that Ferguson may be handed his debut by Potter against the Bees. While that may be the case, is there a chance Ferguson might stay in London beyond his loan period? The youngster, who had made his Brighton debut under Potter, showed glimpses of his potential under Roberto De Zerbi too. However, the 20-year-old has recently dropped down in the pecking order behind Danny Welbeck and Joao Pedro, with injuries not helping his cause.

There is hope that the striker can rediscover his potential previously shown with the Hammers. While he has only moved to the London Stadium on loan, he has dropped a coy hint on his future. "I can see and know how big West Ham United is,” he said. “It was a big opportunity for me to come here. I know the gaffer well and look forward to working under him again. I want to come in and do my best for the club, score goals, and see where we get to.

When pressed on what could happen in the future, he added: “We’ll see what the future holds.” While it might be music to the ears of West Ham fans, it must be noted that there is no buy option in the loan deal that brought Fergsuon to London. However, the general consensus earlier in the window was that Brighton might be tempted to sell him for £40 million if a bid was forthcoming. If he finds his scoring boots under Potter, a deal could be struck.

Ferguson also will be glad to see some familiar faces in the West Ham coaching team, with assistant coach Bruno and first-team coach Billy Read having worked with Ferguson in the past. The Hammers’ manager was delighted to work with Ferguson once again, saying: "I'm delighted we've been able to bring Evan in on loan until the end of the season. He's a player we obviously know very well, so I'm grateful to the board for bringing him in.”.

"He's got plenty of quality attributes as a striker that we believe will benefit the group over the course of the coming months. We're excited to integrate him into the squad and see him in action in the weeks to come," Potter added. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.