Evan Ferguson is one of the most exciting young talents in the Premier League at the moment. The Brighton forward could be the next big transfer for the club, and he is one of the big hopes of Irish football. But had things turned out differently he could have easily been lining up in Liverpool colors.
Back before he signed for Brighton, Ferguson also had trials at Liverpool. The club tried to bring him to the academy but the youngster rejected the chance to sign for the Reds.
nstead he opted for Brighton, and it’s a move you can hardly blame him for given how he has exploded onto the scene. But question marks should be raised about his recent comments on why he rejected Liverpool, with Ferguson’s claim completely inaccurate.
Speaking to The Athletic, Ferguson said the following:
“I went to Liverpool a few times. It’s a good club, but you see so many boys at Liverpool just fading away and there’s no chance to get in the first team. I was thinking, ‘Do I just want to play two years of Under-18s and then go to the U23s and go from there to where?’”
For most big clubs that would be an accurate statement perhaps. But for Liverpool under Jürgen Klopp this has not been the case.
You only have to look at some of the academy signings the club made around the same time as Ferguson moved to Brighton in 2021.
Before that, Liverpool signed Harvey Elliott in 2019, who immediately got chances in the club’s first team and has since been gradually integrated into having a regular role in Klopp’s squad. Last season in fact he went on a run of 42 consecutive appearances, the last remaining member of the squad to feature in all possible fixtures.
In 2020, Liverpool brought in Stefan Bajčetić, who broke into the first team set-up last season and is expected to have a big role once again heading into the 2023/24 campaign. He certainly hasn’t faded away either.
Signed from Newcastle in 2021, Bobby Clark is another example. He made his Premier League debut last season and was given a chance this summer in pre-season, which he took well, and he too could soon be regularly involved with the first team.
Then of course there is Ben Doak, who was signed last summer, and has already played for Liverpool a handful of times, including making his Premier League debut last season. Based on the impression he left in pre-season, he is another player who is going to have a regular role in the first team squad this season.
