Ferguson out to build own Roman empire

Roma's notoriously boisterous support base subscribe to the theory of 'La Roma non si discute, si ama’ - you don’t question Roma; you love her.

First coined by Italian actor Renato Rascel in the 1950s, it’s a message that love will be offered unconditionally from the start - particularly those from the city of Rome - but to truly earn the heart of the Eternal City, you must show that you love her back.

For Evan Ferguson, such adulation will be much-needed; things are not so bad that he needs to resurrect his career in Italy but it no doubt it requires some rejuvenation.

His Serie A adventure with Roma starts this evening as Bologna visit the Stadio Olimpico and he goes in around 10th in the betting for the capocannoniere, or the Paolo Rossi award as it referred to since 2021, given out to the top goal-scorer each season.

For many people, this already feels like a crossroads moment for a player who scored just one goal in 21 Premier League appearances last season split between Brighton and West Ham, that coming in Brighton’s 2-2 draw with Wolves before his loan move to London.

That goal was his first since ankle surgery placed roadblocks in his thereto smooth run to becoming one of Europe’s most talked about young strikers with 10 goals in 25 games in his breakthrough season at the Amex, and it was a classic Ferguson strike.

An Irish flag amongst Roma fans in a Serie A clash with Juventus

As the rapid Tariq Lamptey hared down the right, Ferguson’s powerful legs saw him pick up a gallop through the middle into the pocket of space and although two Wolves players converged as the ball was played to him, his first touch was sweet enough to give him the yard of space to fire into the corner of the net.

It was his first league goal in 11 months; the smile on the former Bohs player face said it all. It hasn’t been seen since, at club level anyway with Ferguson finding the net for Ireland in the meantime against Finland and Bulgaria.

Pre-season in Italy did bring goals against Kaiserslautern and Cannes – the first a result of pure work-rate as he closed down the keeper and tapped to the empty net and the latter a slick finish after a nice pass from former Man City left-back Angelino. There was also a four-goal haul in a closed door match with Serie D side UniPomezia.

In their last pre-season friendly at the weekend, a 2-2 draw with Saudi side Neom, the Meath man played 45 minutes – but it was a starting 45 giving hope that new head coach Gian Piero Gasperini will include him on Saturday night.

Gasperini, an early proponent of the 4-3-3 system, does not usually deploy a traditional target man who can be a presence for the long ball, but he does prefer a physical, ball-playing forward at the fulcrum of his attack with Diego Milito (Genoa) and Duván Zapata (Atalanta) – both, like Ferguson, 6 foot plus – carrying out that role for him successfully in the past.

What’s clear is that Ferguson needs to hit the ground running when playing for such an Italian giant - in name, anyway, given they have only ever won three league titles with the last coming in 2001 as Football Italia was finishing its initial successful run on Channel 4 where James Richardson introduced us to a world of wonder of Crespo, Vieri, Del Piero et al.

Paulo Dybala, Stephan El Shaarawy, Matías Soulé and Artem Dovbyk are already well established at the club as attacking options and while Luigi Cherubini is still there, he’s expected to head to Serie B in the coming days.

Ferguson will wear number 11 this weekend, a shirt formerly worn by Mohamed Salah during his time with I Giallorossi. After running out of road - and goals - in the Premier League, Salah left Chelsea and headed to Rome firstly on loan before joining permanently. He has since moved back to England and has become one of the greatest players in Premier League history with Liverpool.

Evan Ferguson had an unsuccessful loan spell at West Ham last season

Ferguson’s trajectory will not match that – very few will ever – but it’s worth keeping in mind that when Salah moved to Italy, he was two years older than Ferguson is now and also apparently at a similar crossroads.

Whatever awaits for Ferguson, he joins an exclusive group of Irish players to make the move to the famed league.

Armagh’s Paddy Sloan was the first having scored nine goals for AC Milan in 1948/49 before representing a number of Serie B clubs, including Torino whose position as Italy’s undisputed kingpins came to abrupt end following the tragic Superga air disaster in 1949 that claimed the lives of the entire squad.

Liam Brady won two league titles with Juventus with Ronnie O’Brien making one appearance for them in what is regarded one of the most bizarre transfers in the storied club’s history (he would earn a Times Person of the Year nominee on the back of it).

Robbie Keane only lasted a single season at Inter Milan

Robbie Keane’s Italian job came to an abrupt end after Inter sacked Marcello Lippi just a game into the new season. It was Marco Tardelli who ultimately shipped him out, before going on some time later to be Republic of Ireland assistant under Giovanni Trapattoni.

Festy Ebosele and James Abankwah have represented Udinese in recent times with the latter still under contract despite being on loan at Watford.

And now it's the time of Evan Ferguson.

Roma fans will offer love to him from the off, it's their way, and if people back home want to question him well then this could be just the perfect spot to deliver an emphatic answer.

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