Ferguson: 12 month drought, Celtic brace and recall rumours – What’s going on at Roma?

Official: Evan Ferguson joins Roma on mortgage with an choice to purchase from Premier League aspect Brighton and Hove Albion (image by way of www.asroma.com)

Evan Ferguson scored his first ever targets in European competitors with a brace for Roma towards Celtic within the Europa League on Thursday evening, however it has not all been easy crusing for the Brighton loanee within the Italian capital.

From his year-long aim drought to rumours of a possible recall, right here’s a take a look at how issues have gone for him on the Stadio Olimpico and what the longer term may maintain for the Republic of Eire worldwide.

Why has Ferguson struggled for consistency at Roma?

Ferguson joined Roma on mortgage with an choice to purchase, rumored to be for a payment within the area of €40m in the direction of the tip of the summer time switch window.

That is his second consecutive mortgage stint away from Brighton after an underwhelming spell with West Ham within the second half of the 2024-25 season, throughout which he failed to attain a single aggressive aim.

Roma, whose solely different pure choice at centre-forward is Artem Dovbyk, had been in dire want of attacking additions through the summer time switch window.

Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini made that clear on a number of events: “That is no excuse; it’s simply the fact, and we will’t be hypocrites. Check out who left and who’s lacking. It’s simply counting,” he mentioned after a pre-season pleasant towards Kaiserslautern over the summer time, just some weeks earlier than the beginning of the Serie A season.

In the long run, Roma did make extra additions earlier than the shut of the summer time switch window, Wesley, Daniele Ghilardi, Jan Ziolkowski and a mortgage deal for Kostas Tsimikas amongst them, however their solely different attacking addition was Leon Bailey on mortgage from Aston Villa. Because of damage, the Jamaica worldwide has solely managed eight aggressive appearances since becoming a member of Roma in August, solely one among which was as a starter.

Which means Ferguson and Dovbyk have been Gasperini’s solely pure choices at centre-forward this season.

And with no clear first alternative, Gasperini has typically rotated his choices at centre-forward, with Paulo Dybala, Tommaso Baldanzi and Matias Soule all having been tried in false 9 roles at varied levels of the 2025-26 season.

It’s simple to overlook that Ferguson has solely not too long ago turned 21, and shifting overseas, arriving late in the summertime switch window, after which having to adapt to a brand new tradition, membership, league, and magnificence of play, and having the strain of needing to bounce again after a tricky 2024-25 season is to not be underestimated both.

May Ferguson’s current targets be the turning level at Roma?

Ferguson lastly claimed his first aggressive aim in Giallorossi colors on November 23, coming off the bench to seize Roma’s second in an eventual 3-1 win away towards Cremonese in Serie A.

This was his first aggressive aim in over a 12 months, courting again to Brighton’s 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers within the Premier League on October 26, 2024.

The 21-year-old has since added a European brace to his private tally for 2025-26, tucking away two very nicely taken finishes within the first half of a 3-0 Europa League win over Celtic on Thursday evening.

It wasn’t simply his ending, however his motion and total centre-forward play that earned him rave opinions for his efficiency at Celtic Park.

Soccer Italia skilled Alfredo Pedullà agrees that Ferguson’s efficiency towards Celtic may very well be the proper springboard to revitalise his Roma profession.

What to make of the recall rumours?

For a number of months already, retailers in Italy have prompt that Roma might doubtlessly look to terminate Ferguson’s mortgage deal forward of schedule given his earlier wrestle for targets and consistency on the Stadio Olimpico.

Brighton head coach Fabian Hürzeler didn’t deny these rumours when he spoke at his pre-match press convention on Friday.

“Evan is our participant, that’s why he’ll all the time be an choice,” he mentioned. “In fact, now in the intervening time he’s on mortgage however we observe him, we’re happy how he carried out yesterday. In fact all of us observe him, so positively he could be an choice.”

“Evan Ferguson is a participant for us and he’s all the time an choice”

Fabian Hurzeler discusses the potential for recalling Evan Ferguson from his mortgage at Roma and the way he hopes that Mohamed Salah ‘will not be accessible’ for Brighton’s away journey towards Liverpool 🔵 pic.twitter.com/5BNG3BgIrq

— Sky Sports activities Information (@SkySportsNews) December 12, 2025

So, it stays to be seen whether or not Ferguson will see out the remainder of the 2025-26 marketing campaign on the Stadio Olimpico, or whether or not he’ll return to Brighton, or maybe be despatched out on mortgage elsewhere.

What’s turning into clear is that the run-up to Christmas and the January switch window will probably be pivotal. If the Irishman is ready to add one other couple of targets to his report earlier than then, it begins to seem like a very completely different state of affairs.

And, if targets do begin to turn into extra of an everyday prevalence, it begs the query, would Roma be capable to discover a assured enchancment, match and able to play, through the January switch window with a decent funds and monetary truthful play laws nonetheless to stick to? It could definitely take fairly the pull from Gasperini and Ricky Massara.

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