Celtic’s connection to Ireland is deep-rooted and historic.
The club was founded back in 1888 by Irish Marist Brother Walfrid, with the stated objective of integrating Irish immigrants into Scottish life and society.
To this day, the Hoops remain one of the most popular clubs in Ireland, while many of their greatest-ever players are Irish: Patrick Bonner, Patsy Gallacher, Neil Lennon, Sean Fallon and Aiden McGeady, to name but a few.
Now, could the Scottish Premiership champions be about to add another current Republic of Ireland international to their ranks, one that has the potential to be a superstar?
Celtic's search for a new centre-forward
According to a report by the Daily Record, Celtic are willing to ‘gamble on a permanent transfer’ to sign Brighton & Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson, if the Seagulls are unable to find another buyer.
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Ferguson spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham United but, as Hammers supporter Martin Treasure puts it, his stint in East London was a ‘disaster’, making just eight appearances that totalled a miserly 151 minutes, scoring zero goals.
Two years ago, as an 18-year-old, he burst onto the scene by scoring a hat-trick against Newcastle; only three players, namely Chris Bart-Williams, Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler, have bagged a Premier League treble at a younger age.
Since 2 September 2023 however, he has scored just three club goals, enduring a 336-day goal drought, so could he move north of the border in an attempt to get his career back on track?
How Ferguson could fit in at Celtic
Of course, Celtic already have one Republic of Ireland international striker in their squad; after a successful six-month loan spell, Adam Idah’s move to Parkhead was made permanent for £9.5m last summer, a fee Amy Canavan of BBC Sport described as ‘eye-watering’.
The 24-year-old has so far scored 29 goals in 72 appearances for the club, most notably bagging a stoppage-time winner in the Scottish Cup Final against Rangers, albeit he’s been unable to cement himself as the undisputed first-choice, despite the departure of Kyōgo Furuhashi in January.
So, let’s assess how the two Irish strikers compare to one another.
Age
20
24
Senior appearances
92
188
Senior goals
17
46
Premier League appearances
68
29
Premier League goals
13
1
Republic of Ireland caps
22
32
Republic of Ireland goals
5
5
Current market value
£21.4m
£5.5m
Peak market value
£55m
£5.5m
As the table outlines, Idah does have more senior experience, which shouldn’t be too surprising as he is four years older, albeit Ferguson is vastly more experienced at Premier League level, also scoring the same number of international goals in ten fewer caps.
What is also revealing is their respective Transfermarkt values, given that they believe Ferguson was worth over £55m in the autumn of 2023, still valued at in excess of £20m right now, despite his decline.
Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labels him a “big talent”, Beth Limb of Total Football Analysis is impressed by his ‘all-round game’, while Ryan Kilbane of Football Talent Scout outlines how he boasts ‘clever movement’ and is ‘comfortable with his back to goal’.
In short, not so long ago, everyone was forecasting that Ferguson would go to the top although, since then, as documented by Andy Naylor of the Athletic, injuries have massively hampered his development, citing Alan Shearer, who labelled him a “special talent… that needs to be nurtured”.
Thus, it is clear that Ferguson is a top-quality talent so, if Celtic are able to get a deal done, it would surely be a no-brainer, even if there is obvious risk.
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