Sad Ferguson is Graham Potter’s first-choice target as West Ham United pursue a new striker before 3 February

Evan Ferguson to West Ham: Graham Potter makes late window transfer call

Sad Ferguson is Graham Potter’s first-choice target as West Ham United pursue a new striker before 3 February.

The broadcaster reports on 27 January that having given Ferguson his breakthrough during their time together at Brighton, Potter wants to re-unite with the Republic of Ireland forward.

The Hammers are hopeful they have the “edge” in the battle to sign Ferguson, with Bournemouth also making an enquiry and both Arsenal and Everton weighing up offers.

Brighton are playing a waiting game of their own with regards to the 20-year-old’s immediate future, and are set to make a late decision with Danny Welbeck’s patchy injury history being a key factor.

Evan Ferguson transfer could be make-or-break for West Ham

With Potter at the helm in East London, and joined by long-time associate Kyle Macauley with Tim Stiedten on the way out, it’s no surprise to see a change in transfer strategy away from ageing big names.

Niclas Fullkrug’s lack of impact – not helped by a series of unfortunately-timed injuries – has shown that bringing in a 31-year-old as their big-money striker wasn’t the smartest of moves from the Hammers.

Evan Ferguson has drifted onto the periphery at Brighton after a period out with injury [Credit: Imago]

Potter’s influence sees them looking at far younger targets up front rather than forwards well past their peaks, but if they put all their eggs in the Ferguson basket, the Irons could still come up short.

Ferguson may well be keen to reunite with Potter, but if Brighton do make a last-ditch decision to keep him in the fold for the rest of the season, the Hammers can’t afford to leave themselves exposed.