Brighton might already have their Evan Ferguson replacement after West Ham decision

Some Brighton fans raised eyebrows when Evan Ferguson was allowed to leave last month to join West Ham for the remainder of the season.

Ferguson, 20, made just two Premier League starts for the Seagulls this term under head coach Fabian Hurzeler and the opportunity to reunite with Graham Potter at the London Stadium was too good to turn down.

The Hammers badly needed a striker, Ferguson wanted minutes on the pitch and Brighton were keen for their Ireland international to gain further experience in the Premier League.

Ferguson showed some encouraging signs for West Ham despite their 1-0 home loss to Brentford as he made his debut as second half substitute for Carlos Soler.

“I saw someone was leading the line, he looked fit, he looked sharp,” said former West Ham striker Tony Cottee to talkSport. “He had a good effort where he hit it on the turn, if that had gone in, it would have been fantastic.”

Ferguson is currently the only fit striker at West Ham and is expected to play a key role for Potter in the coming matches, starting at Arsenal this Saturday.

For all the lastest Albion news, follow our Brighton and Hove Albion FC – SussexWorld Facebook page.

His long-term future does however remain uncertain. As it stands, he is expected to return to Albion in the summer but all options are currently open.

He is contracted with the Seagulls until June 2029 and Hurzeler said he will be watching his progress at West Ham with interest, and that Ferguson could still be a part of the future at Brighton.

Equally, if Ferguson performs well at West Ham his value could increase and Brighton maybe be tempted to cash in, if the Hammers – or another club – make a significant offer.

On the day Ferguson left for West Ham, Brighton signed young Greek forward Stefanos Tzimas from FC Nürnberg for around £22m on a five-year deal.

The experienced Danny Welbeck – who was excellent in last Friday’s 3-0 win against Chelsea – continues to perform at a high level, with Georginio Rutter and Joao Pedro also pushing to lead the line. Getting minutes on the pitch as a striker at Brighton is not easy these days.

On top of that, the Seagulls also have another young Irishman in Mark O'Mahony, who is currently on loan at Portsmouth and scoring again following an injury.

O'Mahony is highly regarded at Brighton and has made four appearances for the first team, with his one goal coming earlier this season in the EFL Cup against Crawley Town.

He was loaned to the Championship but sustained an injury during Portsmouth’s 2-2 draw against Swansea last November. So far the 20-year-old has three goals in 10 appearances for John Mousinho’s team, including an excellent strike on his return to first team action in the 2-0 win against Oxford United last Saturday.

"Initially I thought it [the injury] would have been three to four weeks,” said O'Mahony to the Portsmouth website after his goal. “Obviously, two and a half months wasn't what I wanted but it's for days like this that you go in every morning and you try and progress with the rehab. I know it's been long but I'm just delighted to be back and thankfully with a goal.”

O'Mahony is also due to return to Albion in the summer and is contracted until June 2027.

Ferguson could still remain at Brighton but if he does leave, the Seagulls seem to have their bases covered for the long-term with O’Mahony and Tzimas.

For your next Albion read: Kaoru Mitoma breaks his silence after Chelsea stunner as Gary Lineker rates 'goal of the season'