Brighton CEO Paul Barber has denied speculation about Evan Ferguson’s departure, insisting he is “very happy”.
It was reported this week that the striker has been loaned out in the upcoming January transfer window.
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Ferguson has only started one Premier League game this season, coach Fabian Hurzeler has decided to name other attacking options.
However, Hurzeler played down speculation about the Irishman’s departure, saying: “I don’t know where this information comes from.”
He also revealed that he is happy to have Ferguson in his squad and CEO Barber appears to have ruled out leaving him.
Speaking exclusively to Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent on Drive ahead of Brighton’s Premier League home game against Southampton on Friday, live on The Pitch Prospect, he said: “Evan is a really important part of the team.”
“Sometimes malicious rumors emerge in strange places and one or two journalists adopt these ideas, which may in some cases be spread by one or two other clubs.”
“But Evan is very happy, we are very happy with Evan, we expect him to be an important part of the squad all season long.”
“Unfortunately, in this business, sometimes we know you have to ignore the rumor mill and the outside noise.”
The Pitch Prospect reported in January that Ferguson, who scored 17 goals in 74 games for Brighton, was a target for Chelsea.
However, the Seagulls believed the 20-year-old was worth more than what the Blues paid for Moises Caicedo, which was £115m.
Brighton have been praised for their dealings in the transfer market as sales including Caicedo have helped bring in big revenue.
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Marc Cucurella and Ben White were also notable departures to bring financial gain to a club that remains competitive even after the departure of top talent.
Barber was asked how difficult it is to retain players when big offers come in and who has the final say on departures.
He gave an insight into the club’s sales when he said: “Well, at the end of the day it will always be the chairman because he owns the club and we use his money whether we bring in money or spend it.”
“I think the most important thing is that we all talk about it openly. We do not release the player by hearing an offer and then not speaking to the player’s agent.”
“Nine times out of ten, 99 times out of 100, the agent will know before we do anyway, but the most important thing is that we have to sell at the right time for everyone.”
“It may be a bit too early for the player, it may not be the right club for the player, it may not be the right time for us, it may not be the right transfer window for us.”
![barber [left] also spoke about how Brighton decide whether to sell a player or not](https://talksport.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/11/GettyImages-669469436.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
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“So we try to be as open as possible, we try to have players with contracts that ultimately give us control and when that is the case, all the circumstances have to be right for us to want to sell.”
“If they’re not right, we won’t sell. If we believe it will be detrimental to the team in the short term, we will not sell.”
Brighton will move up to second place in the Premier League with a win against Southampton, overtaking Chelsea and Arsenal.
It would further highlight the incredible progress they have made over the last few years and under Hurzeler this season.