When a striker has a difficult spell in England at West Ham, you could be forgiven for thinking that the game is up. Destined to become a journeyman bagging a few here and there at different spells in lower/mid table clubs. That’s what Gianluca Scamacca must have thought anyway, until he came to work with Gian Piero Gasperini at Atalanta.
Fast forward a season and the Italian’s career was resurrected, he was back in the national team and he owed it all to Gasperini. At least that’s what I read into his words, “If I’m here so much it’s thanks to him, this year he helped me and managed to strike the right chords to make me click, I owe a lot to him.”
Now, Gasperini looks all set to hook up with Irish striker Evan Ferguson. The 20 year old is far from a washed up journeyman, but his career has drifted somewhat since a breakthrough season at Brighton when he score 10 goals in 25 matches as an 18 year old prodigy. Ferguson started the next season on fire and scored a memorable hat trick against Newcastle, but would only score 3 more goals that season as injuries hampered his progress.
Last season he managed only 1 goal in 13 matches before being loaned to West Ham in a spell which can only be described as disastrous. That’s not entirely down to him of course, West Ham’s second half of last season was only mildly better than their start and they were woefully inadequate as a team. It probably wasn’t the best environment for confidence building.
And confidence building will be key for a player who was once touted at €120m and now looking at significantly less. Injuries affected his confidence on the pitch, but also in himself, with the player seeming reluctant to fly into tackles or stretch himself physically.
Ferguson is physically strong, he has a bit of the Alan Shearer about him. A big lad, strong, physical, two footed finisher who has a strong header on him too. In fact Shearer himself described him as a striker with, “no obvious weakness”.
Physicality will serve him well in a Gasperini system, he’ll need to be ready to engage the defensive line early and he’ll need to be willing to run. As Scamacca himself said, “The coach hammered me day after day, told me how to move on the pitch, but also I started to get into good physical shape and so could give him what he wanted.”
Scamacca isn’t the only striker Gasperini has moulded either, one standout example from Atalanta shows how the relationship with Gasp can create a monster that’s hard to replicate elsewhere. Rasmus Hojlund had the eye of a lot of European clubs after his breakout season at Atalanta, Gasperini sharpened what was raw talent and got the best out of the young Dane. Manchester United have struggled to replicate this.
There’s no doubt at all that if Evan Ferguson can gain consistent minutes in a Roma shirt that his confidence will improve. Gasperini has a tried and trusted system that nurtures young attacking talent, while demanding a lot from them. Ferguson already aligns with some of Gasperini’s trademarks, he’s a strong and physical lad which will aid him in the press, something Brighton did effectively with him too.
Further to that, he provides an aerial headache for defences, he can provide that target man focus when required. Not only this, but he’s more than capable of drifting wide and linking with Wing Backs.
So where does he need to improve? First and foremost it’s with his fitness. It might be harsh to judge a player on their injuries, but if he can stay in shape and stay fit, that’s the first hurdle jumped.
Serie A’s defenders are significantly tougher and more physical than Premier League defences, who tend to focus more on their possession play than out of possession discipline. This will take some adapting in Italy.
For me, his best chance of success will come in a dual striker system, the 3-4-1-2, rather than the 3-4-2-1. Partnering Ferguson with the likes of Dovbyk will complement aerial strength with sharp finishing.
Personally, I like Evan Ferguson, if you hadn’t been able to puzzle that out yet. This was a kid once valued very highly by Brighton and was attracting interest from all over Europe. Roma have the chance to land an absolute bargain. Moving to Italy has proven to be a breath of fresh air for so many stagnating in the Premier League, just look at the form of Scott McTominay.
I would say Ferguson has the potential to be significantly better than the Scot and if he can progress with Roma, you may just have them as an outside bet this season…
The Calcio Blog 