Where Ferguson stands with Brighton recall rumours, Roma form and Napoli interest

Evan Ferguson’s immediate future is still up in the air despite a recent upturn in form at the Stadio Olimpico. From rumours of a potential Brighton recall to recent reports of interest from Antonio Conte and Napoli, here’s what the next few weeks could have in store for the Republic of Ireland international. 

Ferguson was signed by Roma on an initial season-long loan deal with an option to buy for a reported fee of €40m in July. 

He was signed off the back of an underwhelming loan spell with West Ham United at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, and had been without a competitive goal in nine months at the time of his move to Roma. 

It took a little while for Ferguson to break his duck in Serie A. That first goal eventually came 12 games into the 2025-26 campaign, in a 3-1 victory away against Cremonese in November, over a year since his previous league goal. 

The 21 has, however, struggled to win over Giallorossi head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who has publicly criticised the Irishman’s technique and his struggle to settle into life at the Stadio Olimpico. 

Encouragingly for Ferguson on a personal level, though, is the fact that he now has four goals from his last six competitive appearances (two apiece in Serie A and the Europa League) after a run of over a year with just one goal to his name. 

For several months already, various reports in Italy have linked Ferguson with a potential return to Brighton in January. 

That is largely because Roma are still hoping to bring in new attacking reinforcements in January, and will need to clear up space in their squad and in the budget in order for that to happen. 

Brighton Chief Executive Paul Barber has recently made it clear, however, that the Seagulls will not recall Ferguson in January. 

He indicated in an interview with the club website that Brighton do not have a recall option, and that if Ferguson is to return, it will be because Roma have terminated their end of the agreement. 

“It’s very unlikely, I would say. We don’t have that option, so if he were to come back it would be because the club that has him at the moment doesn’t need him in the second half of the season,” Barber told the Brighton website. 

“At the moment it seems very unlikely. He’s playing well and scoring goals, it’s not really one that is in our gift.”

According to reports on Thursday, Ferguson still has admirers in Serie A. Sky and Calciomercato.com claim that Antonio Conte is a fan, and that Napoli could potentially be interested in a move depending on developments over the next few weeks. 

Napoli themselves are still in a delicate situation at centre-forward. Rasmus Hojlund has largely been a success since coming in from Manchester United over the summer, but Romelu Lukaku has still not returned from an injury that has kept him sidelined since August, and summer recruit Lorenzo Lucca has already fallen to the bottom of the pecking order. 

There have been suggestions that Napoli could look to move Lucca on this month, and if that were to be the case, a space would open up for a new striker to come in and bolster Conte’s ranks. 

Calciomercato claims that Napoli are in fact interested in two Roma strikers: One being Ferguson should he become available in January, and another being Artem Dovbyk, for whom the Partenopei could explore a potential swap deal involving Lucca.