The Media Review: Newcastle United

Readers of this column may or may not be aware that headlines are not written by reporters at matches but by sub-editors back in the office.  

So no blame attaches to Paul Rowan of The Sunday Times for the headline “Brighton have new superstar in Ferguson.” Paul has covered enough Albion matches to know – as we do – that Evan Ferguson was already a superstar before he hit his hat-trick against Newcastle United. 

He wrote, “Ferguson, signed two and a half years ago from the Dublin side Bohemians for next to nothing, capped nearly a year of steady progress under Roberto De Zerbi by taking home the match ball, having only recently secured his driving licence.” 

Dan King also focused on the hat-trick hero’s youth in The Sun on Sunday: “Evan help the opposition when Brighton’s centre forward grows up,” he wrote. “Evan Ferguson, still only 18, scored his maiden top-flight hat-trick to condemn Newcastle to their third defeat in a row and underline why he is one of the hottest properties in world football. 

“Ferguson's eighth, ninth and 10th Premier League strikes, added to two previous assists, made the Seagulls star only the second non-English player to register 10 or more goal involvements in the competition by the age of 18. 

“The other, Cesc Fabregas, went on to win titles in Spain and England, two European Championships and a World Cup. With all due respect to the Republic of Ireland, Ferguson is highly unlikely to match those achievements on the international stage. 

“Otherwise, though, this was another performance to suggest that the sky is the limit for this tall, strong, hard-working and intelligent striker. 

“What a day for Ferguson and for Brighton. The Seagulls unveiled new signings Ansu Fati and Carlos Baleba before kick off. Fati once had the confidence to inherit Barcelona’s No 10 shirt from Lionel Messi. At times during this match, Fati must have wondered how he is going to get into the fabulous team that Roberto De Zerbi is developing.”  

Jonathan Wilson of The Observer thought that “everything in the end came down to the moment 20 minutes into the second half when Evan Ferguson received Billy Gilmour’s pass 30 yards from goal, turned and, with a sense of unflustered inevitability, caressed his shot into the bottom corner. It was a goal of stunning quality, his brilliant finish the centrepiece of the first of what will surely be many Premier League hat-tricks.  

“For Brighton it had been a week of barely conceivable events: drawing Ajax, Marseille and AEK Athens in the Europa League, Pascal Gross winning a Germany call-up and the signings of Ansu Fati and Carlos Baleba. Ferguson, though, might be the most exciting element of all.

Elsewhere, the writers – including some who had travelled down from Tyneside – seemed only to be interested in when, and for how much, Albion might sell the young Irishman.  

“Just as well the transfer window closed 24 hours earlier,” Craig Hope wrote in The Mail on Sunday. “For those top clubs left looking for goals, here they are, in the boots of a teenager who plays like a man. What price for Evan Ferguson right now?

“Thankfully, for Brighton, they don’t have to think about a valuation, at least not until January. The 18-year-old had three chances and scored each of them. He was sensational. The Seagulls may have paraded Barcelona loanee Ansu Fati before kick-off, but Ferguson is the boy wonder the home fans left here talking about. 

“Newcastle legend Alan Shearer would have been watching, and he should be less worried about Harry Kane returning one day to break his Premier League scoring record as he should Ferguson sticking around and making a bid for his tally of 260. That is 10 and counting now. 

“The strapping teen left to a standing ovation on 81 minutes, by which time he had knocked Newcastle off their feet.” 

In similar vein, Luke Edwards of The Sunday Telegraph wrote that “Brighton and Hove Albion recently sold one player for more than £100 million and they look like they will be selling another one in the not-too-distant future after Evan Ferguson’s hat-trick punished a lethargic and sloppy Newcastle United. 

“There is much for Newcastle manager Eddie Howe to ponder after his players delivered their worst performances for months, but there will surely come a time when Brighton are forced to consider when to sell their teenage sensation and for how much.”

The fact that Chief Executive Paul Barber has already estimated a time frame of five years from now seemed to have passed most writers by. But Edwards changed his tune somewhat as he continued, “Ferguson has already been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur and the London club are certainly on the lookout for someone to replace Harry Kane long term, but for now he is at the ideal club playing for the ideal manager. 

“Nobody should be trying to rush or push him out of the exit door and the transfer window is shut, which will be a huge relief to everyone associated with the club. 

“They are under no pressure to sell Ferguson at this stage and with European football on the south coast, he should also be advised to stay put. His development has been rapid at Brighton and it will continue to gather pace on the evidence of this performance against Newcastle.

“Roberto De Zerbi has handled the young Irishman brilliantly, even leaving him out of the starting XI at the beginning of the campaign, but it was only a matter of time until Ferguson was back leading the line for the Seagulls. This was only the fourth time an 18-year-old has scored a Premier League hat-trick but Ferguson barely blinked when he was told that fact. 

“There is something special about the teenager, even the way he spoke to the media after the game. He was unflustered, taking all the attention in his stride. He does not sound like someone who will get carried away with the hype or have his head turned by talk of a move at some unknown date in the future. 

“Brighton outmanoeuvred Newcastle for 90 minutes and in Ferguson they have a striker who can turn pressure into goals. Newcastle missed a host of chances they should have taken; Ferguson took all three that came his way. 

“His first goal was a poacher’s effort, sweeping in a loose ball after Nick Pope had dropped a shot from Billy Gilmour. His second, as Newcastle huffed and puffed trying to get back into the contest, was a delicious curling strike from 25 yards after both centre-backs had dropped off. 

“The third came via a massive deflection and may deny him a hat-trick, but that would be harsh. The initial shot appeared to be on target so he should keep the match ball.”