Evan Ferguson completed his loan move to Roma yesterday from Brighton. The deal involves a buy option of €40 million should Roma wish to exercise this at the end of the season.
The reaction to the move has been varying and has somewhat exposed the tunnel vision mind-set that football people in this country have towards the road to “making it” in the game.
Pundits such as Keith Treacy and Alan Cawley have recently appeared on the RTE soccer podcast and argued that Ferguson would be better served with a move to a championship club than the one he has chosen in Italy.
There are a number of indicators as to why this path is best avoided. These indicators come in the shape of Ferguson’s fellow Irish strikers.
To start with though, Ferguson missed a large chunk of the last 18 months through an ankle injury that required surgery and an extensive rehab period. Why would a player who has endured that go to a team in a grueling 46 game a season league with frequent Saturday/Tuesday double game weeks?
Irish fans have already seen Troy Parrott’s struggles in that environment and additionally, have seen him flourish since his move to the Netherlands two seasons ago. Such a move has also given him experience of Europa League football, something not enough Irish players have had in the past.
Aaron Connolly could not find the same European comfort during his loan with Venezia in 2022. Underwhelming loan spells at Hull, Sunderland and Millwall have seen him link up with Leyton Orient in League 1 for the coming season. Who could have seen that coming in October 2019 after his brace versus Spurs. At 25, time is still on Connolly’s side to make it back to the top for club and country, provided he can put his well-documented troubles behind him.
Europa League football awaits Evan Ferguson this season. Billed as the poster boy of Irish football ever since his opening Premier League goal on New Years’ Eve 2022, this move to Roma gives him an opportunity to fulfil this potential. If he can deliver, it could trigger a much needed change of thinking that seems to currently exist within the minds of Irish players and ex-players alike.
Too often, the lower tiers of English football have sufficed for players that have left in Ireland to make their living from football. Players are not solely to blame in this. Often, parents and agents will favour England over Europe for travel comforts and the absence of any potential language barrier issues.
If Ferguson does shine during his time in the Italian capital, players such as Andrew Moran and Jason Knight to name but a few could become willing for a change of scenery and football style to further their burgeoning careers.
Additionally, current League of Ireland starlets such as Cathal O’Sullivan, Victor Ozhianvuna and Billy O’Neill may choose a road less travelled when it is their turn to set out on their football adventure.
Short term, we need Ferguson to hit the ground running to strengthen our World Cup ambitions. Long term, the success of an Irish player in a Top 5 European league could blaze a trail for Irish players of the present and future which can only strengthen the National Team’s major tournament ambitions.