Almost every Chelsea supporter wanted the club to sign a new centre-forward in the last transfer window.
And with Nicolas Jackson suspended for the Blues’ final Premier League game of the season, they really could have done with the arrival of another striker.
Chelsea co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley were heavily criticised by the club’s fanbase for not bringing one in.
It was claimed that Chelsea were interested in Evan Ferguson as they weighed up signing a new No.9, but not buying the 20-year-old has proven to be the right decision.
Evan Ferguson has not made an impact at West Ham United
Instead of Chelsea, Ferguson went on to join their London rivals West Ham United, but he has made little impact there.
Ferguson, who signed for West Ham on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion until the end of the season, is yet to score a goal under Graham Potter. In fact, he has netted just once this term, which was back in October against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
| Ferguson’s 2024/25 stats | Appearances | Goals |
| Premier League | 21 | 1 |
| Carabao Cup | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 23 | 1 |
Chelsea could have signed Ferguson for £40m in a permanent deal, which is not an incredible sum of money, especially compared to some of the player’s rumoured price tags in the past.
For all of the criticism that Stewart and Winstanley get, though, they deserve some credit for not panic buying in January and snapping up someone like Ferguson, whose form has been a concern for a while.
Of course, not every Chelsea fan will see things that way, with the club going into their biggest game of the season without an experienced centre-forward.
Chelsea could sign Joao Pedro instead
Chelsea could yet end up signing a striker from Brighton, with the club thought to have Joao Pedro on their radar.
Last week, it was reported that Chelsea are interested in signing Pedro, and the 23-year-old would be a significantly better addition than Ferguson.
He has been in better goalscoring form compared to Ferguson, netting 10 Premier League goals this season, the same as Jackson at Chelsea.
Ferguson has had injuries and been in and out of Brighton’s starting XI these last couple of years, however. But out of the two, most Chelsea fans are probably going to go for the Brazilian.
