Brighton chief executive Paul Barber jokes it will be ‘at least five years’ before Evan Ferguson is sold

Brighton and Hove Albion chief executive Paul Barber has joked that it will be ‘at least five years’ before the club consider selling star striker Evan Ferguson. The 18-year-old Republic of Ireland international burst onto the scene last season and earned himself a new five-year deal with the club last spring.

Ferguson has netted 11 league goals in 30 appearances for Brighton, attracting attention from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs are now seeking a striker after their decision to sell Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, and the club have been linked with a move for the wonderkid.

Brighton have cashed in on the likes of Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister so far this summer, and Ferguson has been tipped to become the club’s next big money sale. But Barber says the club are in no rush to sell the Irishman and he joked it will be a long time before they do.

‘In Evan’s case, it’ll be in at least five years’ time!,’ Barber joked to TalkSPORT. ‘Ultimately the technical staff are making the key decisions on where a player is in his development, whether he needs more first team games or needs to go on loan or if we need to trade earlier or later. Ultimately it’s going to be a collective decision but it’s driven by the technical staff and we’re relying on them to make those judgements regarding the players’ development.’

Barber went on to explain that there are times when it’s better for the club to keep a player in and around their first team group, training with them and getting the odd first team appearance from the bench or in cup games, while on other occasions it’s better for them to go out on loan in Europe and others it’s better for them to stay in this country and be somewhere where they can keep a far closer eye on them.

Ferguson is valued at around £60m, and while Brighton may be tempted to cash in on him in the future, Barber insists that the decision will ultimately be down to the technical staff.

For now, Ferguson is happy on the south coast as he feels it’s the best place for his development, and Brighton are keen to keep him at the club for as long as possible.

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