Chelsea have been one of many type sides in entrance of purpose to date within the 2024/25 Premier League season. According to Sofascore, Enzo Maresca’s facet have scored 38 occasions within the high flight, which simply two sides have bettered. They’re Liverpool with 45 and Tottenham Hotspur with 41.
Cole Palmer, who has 12 targets to his identify, and Nicolas Jackson, who has scored 9 occasions within the high flight, have shouldered much of the goalscoring burden. Definitely, the Senegalese centre-forward has been the one striker who has scored greater than two targets within the league for Chelsea.
They’re reportedly trying so as to add one other striker to their squad to complement these targets.
Chelsea goal new striker
The participant in query right here is Brighton and Hove Albion starlet, Evan Ferguson. The Irishman has struggled to seek out his finest type over the previous two seasons, with accidents impacting his recreation time. Nonetheless, he’s nonetheless a participant with excessive potential.
With that in thoughts, it may not be a shock that Chelsea are signing him in January so as to add to their purpose menace. According to a report from Graeme Bailey, the Blues are one of many sides who’re ‘maintaining tabs on Ferguson’s scenario’ because the winter window will get underway.
Nonetheless, they may face fierce competitors from different Premier League sides. Arsenal, Tottenham, Newcastle United and Fulham are additionally , and West Ham United have reportedly made contact.
The Seagulls are believed to be open to a mortgage deal which may embody an possibility or obligation to purchase the striker on the finish of his momentary transfer.
Why Ferguson can be a superb signing
Since bursting onto the scene within the 2022/23 season, it has not been a straightforward trip for 20-year-old Ferguson. He missed 17 video games for membership and nation final time period, a complete of 164 days with two separate injuries.
With that being mentioned, his expertise is evident to see. In 79 appearances for Brighton so far, he has 17 targets and 5 assists, coming in 3525 minutes, the equal of simply 39.1 90 minute video games. That averages out to a purpose contrition each different 90 minutes, a robust report.
Certainly, his breakout marketing campaign in 2022/23 was spectacular. He played 25 times for the Seagull’s first group, scoring ten targets and grabbing 4 assists. That features six strikes in 19 Premier League video games.
Certainly, he was so good that season that comparisons might be made between the Irishman and among the finest strikers within the Premier League, Erling Haaland. The Norwegian himself was on hearth in his debut season in England, scoring 36 targets in just 35 games.
The expectations had been completely different for each going into the 2022/23 marketing campaign. Nobody actually thought Ferguson would develop into the scientific finisher he did, but he exploded out of nowhere.
Haaland had all of the expectations on him, because the big-money signing with a repute for scoring targets week in, week out.
The pair can be compared on FBref for his or her extraordinary campaigns of their first full season of the Premier League.
For instance, the Brighton striker had a non-penalty anticipated targets tally of 0.5npxG per 90 minutes and averaged 1.61 photographs heading in the right direction per recreation. Haaland just isn’t too far forward, with 0.75npxG and 1.72 photographs heading in the right direction every recreation.
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Ferguson and Haaland key stats from 2022/23 PL season in contrast |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat (per 90) |
Ferguson |
Haaland |
|
Objectives and assists |
0.75 |
1.43 |
|
Non-penalty anticipated targets |
0.5npxG |
0.75npxG |
|
Photographs heading in the right direction |
1.61 |
1.72 |
|
Objectives per shot |
0.17 |
0.25 |
|
Shot-creating actions |
2.08 |
2.34 |
|
Stats from FBref |
||
Ferguson is clearly a participant rated by his fellow friends. Kylian Mbappe has beforehand famous his expertise, describing him as a “superb striker” earlier than Eire and France performed one another again in 2023. That’s excessive reward certainly from one of many world’s main attackers.
This may very well be a sensible signing for the Blues on a mortgage deal. Ferguson may assist to complement the targets scored by Jackson and Palmer, while additionally not having the strain of being a first-choice striker himself. His expertise is there, and maybe it may be unearthed as soon as extra at Stamford Bridge.
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