Brighton chief Barber lays out plans for Ferguson

Posted Thursday, November 23, 2023 by Tribalfootball.com

Brighton chief Paul Barber says they're under no pressure to sell Evan Ferguson.

The Irish youngster has signed a new contract in recent weeks amid interest from Manchester United and Chelsea.

Barber said at Soccerex: "When we can put them into long contracts to give them security, give us security, but very importantly, with young players, also to help them keep learning.

"At some point in the future, Evan's going to be playing at an even higher level if his trajectory continues as it is. We want to make sure that we do everything we can to prepare him for that. Not just on the field, but off the field as well, give him as much support as we can. I think, as I said before, that the higher level we can play at, the more chance we've got of keeping our top players for longer.

"It doesn't mean to say that we can keep them forever, because players will have their own ambitions of the club they want to play for, and the league they want to play in, and the competitions they want to perform in. And we have to be respectful of that.

"And I believe that, and Tony Bloom (Brighton chairman) believes, that if we can actually show players clear pathways, not just through our club but also beyond our club, that will actually help us attract other younger players in the future to our club as well. Which is a good thing because that keeps our model moving. It keeps our cycle progressing and hopefully it keeps us successful as well."