Striker Evan Ferguson has joined Serie A team AS Roma on a season-long loan from Brighton & Hove Albion.
The deal for the Republic of Ireland international includes a €3 million (£2.6 million) loan fee and a €37 million (£32 million) buy option clause, which is not mandatory.
Evan Ferguson enjoyed a 2022/23 breakout season, scoring ten goals in 25 appearances, and hit a hat-trick in the Seagulls’ fourth league match of the following season – a 3-1 home victory over Newcastle United.
But after an explosive start, his progress was halted by injury and a loss of form.
Ferguson spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham United, but made just eight appearances and failed to score during his time with the club.
While the 20-year-old still has plenty of years ahead, he will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of five Premier League stars who managed to resurrect their career at AS Roma.
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Five former Premier League stars who impressed at AS Roma
Edin Dzeko
Edin Dzeko was certainly not a failure at Manchester City, scoring 72 goals in 189 appearances on the way to winning the Premier League in 2011/12, a league and EFL Cup double in 2013/14, and the FA Cup in 2010/11.
But he was never the No.1 striker, with Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez, as well as Mario Balotelli, Alvaro Negredo, and Stefan Jovetic all at the club throughout his time in Manchester.
In Dzeko’s five seasons at Roma, he scored 119 goals in 260 appearances, including three goals in the two-legged Champions League semi-final against Liverpool, with him unlucky to be on the losing side in a 6-7 aggregate scoreline.
He joined Inter Milan in 2021, where he spent two seasons, before spending the same amount of time at Fenerbahce.
The striker then returned to Serie A with Fiorentina this summer.
Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah’s struggles at Chelsea are well-documented. Who can forget his wayward shot at Shrewsbury Town in the EFL Cup, which went out for a throw-in?!
But after a successful half-season loan at Fiorentina, he joined Roma, where he soon caught the attention of Liverpool.
And the rest… well, it’s history. The Egyptian star is one of the modern greats.
Despite winning the league with Liverpool last season, their elimination in the Champions League round of 16 against PSG may have denied him, for now, the ultimate accolade: the Ballon d’Or.
Chris Smalling
Chris Smalling fell out of favour at Manchester United during the time of the £80 million arrival of Harry Maguire.
But when he reunited with former United manager Jose Mourinho at Roma, he regained respect within the game for his impressive displays.
The defender was affectionately known as “Smaldini”, a nod to legendary Italian defender Paulo Maldini, and landed Man of the Match when Roma beat Feyenoord 1-0 in the 2022 UEFA Conference League final.
Tammy Abraham
Tammy Abraham came through the academy ranks at Chelsea, enjoying several loans, before he finally got his chance under the stewardship of Frank Lampard during the Blues’ transfer embargo.
However, after two steady seasons, normal service had resumed at the then-Champions League holders with the big money return of Romelu Lukaku.
The forward therefore decided to join Roma, where he scored 27 goals in the first season, 2021-22 – the most by an English player in a Serie A season – and was part of the Europa Conference League-winning team.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Henrikh Mkhitaryan had a mixed time of it at Manchester United, with his scorpion kick against Sunderland living long in the memory, but his time at Arsenal was even less successful and less memorable.
But it did not spell the end of his career, and he was still in demand in Italy.
The experienced playmaker spent three seasons at Roma before switching to Inter Milan, where he currently still plays.
There is plenty of evidence, then, that this could be the move to resurrect Evan Ferguson’s career.