West Ham  completed the signing of Europe’s hottest young striker for £46m Hammers decided to walk away from the deal, and the rest is history.

Transfer Dilemma for West Ham: Why FOMO on Ferguson Could Backfire

West Ham  completed the signing of Europe’s hottest young striker for £46m Hammers decided to walk away from the deal, and the rest is history.

Fast forward to the current state of play in the winter transfer window, and there is still some residual concern that West Ham could repeat the same mistake.

This is surely why I’ve been reading comments like “pay whatever it takes” and “Just pay Brighton’s asking price, Sully” when discussing Evan Ferguson.

Of course, it’s one of football’s worst-kept secrets that Hove Albion’s young Irish striker is available for the right price, and it appears the Hammers are haggling again. I, for one, don’t blame them.

Graham Potter does not have a limitless transfer fund, and I’m quite certain that any purchase would come out of next season’s war chest.
Most would concede that West Ham will need at least a goalkeeper, midfielder, centre-back, and a wing-back in the summer.

Hammers made a hash of the Duran deal

And while a striker is crucial to the Hammers and Potter’s rebuild, we must be absolutely certain we’re buying the right player.
For this reason, calls for the club to “pay whatever it takes” to land Ferguson should be treated with caution—just like the transfer itself.

As talented as Ferguson may be, he is currently out with a mysterious foot injury, which Seagulls manager Fabian Hürzeler admitted earlier this month was difficult to diagnose.

It’s not the first time Ferguson has struggled with injury either, and at 20 years of age, this is something of a concern.
Therefore, I believe the Hammers are absolutely correct to try and get the forward on loan rather than panicking with FOMO upon hearing stories that the likes of Arsenal are keen to buy the player.

I’m quite sure that if the Gooners were serious about Ferguson, they’d have bought him by now. I just can’t see the North Londoners investing big money on a player who has scored 14 senior goals.

If there were concerns about Brian Brobbey’s injury record and lack of goals this season, then surely the same must apply to the more expensive Ferguson.
I can’t help but think this forward FOMO is driven by missing out on Duran.

However, if West Ham spend big on a striker and, by early February, we’re looking at the new fella in the physio’s room with Niclas Füllkrug and Michail Antonio, there will be demands to know why the board always buy injury-prone players.

Ferguson may well be an excellent footballer, but the Hammers would be bonkers to commit £50m for a player with uncertain fitness.
Yes, West Ham need a striker, and we can all argue about the various qualities they require—be it pace, technique, hold-up play, or versatility.

But surely fitness must be at the very top of the list, or we could find ourselves dipping into the market again this summer