Evan Ferguson has checked in to the Eternal City, the striker signing his season-long loan deal with Roma after leaving Premier League side Brighton.

Here, we take a look at what the Irishman brings to Serie A and consider how his new boss, Gian Piero Gasperini, could be the perfect man to get the best out of him.

The Journey

Ferguson was only 14 years old when he turned out for Bohemians against Chelsea in a friendly. He was the talk of Irish football and the sky was the limit.

Fast-forward four seasons and he had bagged a Premier League hat-trick for Brighton against Newcastle. Legendary strikers such as Alan Shearer and Ian Wright led the plaudits, and the teenager’s potential stole the headlines again, this time on a global scale.

But then came the dip. Amidst rumours of a lucrative move to Manchester United, he suffered from injury issues, a dry spell and slipped down the pecking order with the Seagulls.

He spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham in a bid to earn game time and rediscover his shooting boots, but despite being under the guidance of his old Brighton boss, Graham Potter, he played only eight times for the Londoners without scoring.

However, what is that famous old saying? All roads lead to Rome? Still only 20, Ferguson arrived in Italy to the welcome of adoring Giallorossi fans. The Stadio Olimpico will be his new home, and crucially, Gasperini will be his new manager.

The Gasperini Effect

Roma legend Claudio Ranieri saved the day last season, coming in after a dreadful opening to the campaign and somehow steering them to fifth.

Now it’s Gasperini’s turn. He transformed Atalanta during his nine-year spell there and capped his stay with Europa League success in 2024, defeating a much-fancied Liverpool along the way and Xabi Alonso’s Treble-chasing and undefeated Bayer Leverkusen in the famous ‘Ademola Lookman’ final.

Ferguson can take great hope from Lookman, and from one or two others, as Gasperini’s time at Atalanta was marked by improving his forward players.

Lookman arrived in 2022 after loan spells at Leicester and Fulham. The Nigeria international, who is wanted by Inter Milan, scored 52 goals in three seasons for Atalanta, having managed 20 in the previous six years.

Then there’s Duvan Zapata. He arrived in Bergamo in 2018. In his debut season under Gasperini he managed an incredible 23 Serie A goals, and in each of his first three years at the club scored at least 19 in all competitions – an improvement in terms of numbers and consistency levels.

And what about Slovenian star Josip Ilicic? He averaged more than 16 goals per season in his first three campaigns at Atalanta but was far from an out-and-out No 9. More of a second striker, Ilicic even shone on the Champions League stage. He had scored just six times in 35 games for Fiorentina the year before he arrived.

Papu Gomez, Luis Muriel and even (albeit briefly) Rasmus Højlund are just a few more examples. Ferguson’s new mentor took Atalanta from being just another northern Italian football club, to one of the most recognised in football. He made Sead Kolašinac and Davide Zappacosta look like world beaters.

What Ferguson Brings

Ferguson has shown that he has star quality and has done from a young age. If Gasperini can get him close to the player we saw emerging at Brighton, then we have a serious striker on our hands.

Gasperini wanted a forward of Ferguson’s ilk – young and hungry with an eye for goal. He also sought someone who is able to play as a lone striker, who can contribute on and off the ball.

Ferguson’s formidable frame means he is a great target man. He also has the pace to make an impact; in the first line of the defensive press and when attacking space behind the opposition or on the counter. Standing tall at 6ft 2in he can also be used for attacking and defending set-pieces.

As a striker though, the marker of success for Ferguson will be goals. Before a serious ankle issue derailed his progress, he was the player with the fourth-most goals before the age of 19 in Premier League history. His 10 top-flight goals at the age of 18 are bettered only by Francis Jeffers, Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen. Harry Kane had one at that stage of his career.

In his good spells, Ferguson has displayed a range of finishing, cultured and merciless, and his movement off the ball appears wise beyond his years. He can score with both feet and his head. If anything, perhaps a bit of rhythm and confidence are all that is standing between him and an incredible debut season in the Serie A.

He has five goals from 22 Ireland caps and follows in the footsteps of Robbie Keane, Ireland’s all-time top scorer with 68 goals, by making an early career move to Italy. However, Roma’s new forward will certainly hope to better Keane’s six Serie A appearances. To be fair to Keane, he did have Ronaldo and Christian Vieri ahead of him at Inter.

Artem Dovbyk is not Ronaldo but he will provide stiff competition for Ferguson. Despite a sensational season with Girona in 2023-24, Dovbyk did not exactly light up Rome last year. The 28-year-old Ukrainian scored 12 league goals in 32 games and two in 11 in the Europa League. He also had his injury niggles over the last 12 months, so if Ferguson is fit and firing a permanent starting role is there for the taking.

Ferguson will feel love and pressure in Rome. Fans will adore him before he kicks a ball, and he can look forward to beautiful food, nice weather and Paulo Dybala slipping him reverse passes behind the defence. Yet he will also feel the weight and responsibility of playing for a club like Roma, one that cries out for a return to success domestically and in Europe. 

He is also the hope of a nation. He will be the man Ireland look to for goals in a World Cup qualifying group with Portugal and Hungary that commences in September. It is a lot to deal with.

So while it is too much to suggest that this is a make-or-break season for the 20 year-old, it could be a defining one after such a long time out of form and a disappointing loan spell at West Ham.

Can Ferguson blossom in Italy? Can this marriage between him and Gasperini be so spectacular as to propel Roma to new heights?

Time will tell, but this is going to be an enthralling story to watch in Serie A this season.