Tottenham can forget about signing 18-year-old Kane replacement after Brighton chief’s response to transfer question
Brighton chief executive Paul Barber has joked it will be at least five years before they consider selling Evan Ferguson.
This came in response to Gary Lineker’s tweet suggesting that Tottenham should look to sign the 18-year-old ‘born goalscorer’ as a replacement for Harry Kane.
Brighton won’t be selling Ferguson for at least five years, says Barber
Lineker suggested Evans as a perfect replacement for Kane at Tottenham
The Seagulls have a huge reputation as one of the best selling clubs in the game having recouped £137million last summer and £187million and counting this summer following the sale of Moises Caicedo to Chelsea.
The club’s business model hinges on developing talented young players and selling them on for a hefty profit, with the club boasting the sort of potential that many can only dream of.
Ferguson may only be 18, but he’s already bagged 11 goals in 30 appearances for Brighton’s first team, including a strike in the Premier League opener against Luton on Saturday.
But while many expect the Republic of Ireland international to be one of the club’s next big-money sales, Barber says that they won’t be selling him to Tottenham any time soon..
Asked at what point they sit down to discuss a player’s future at the club, Barber told The Sports Breakfast: “In Evan’s case, it’ll be in at least five years’ time!
“Ultimately the technical staff are making the key decisions on where a player is in his development, whether he needs more first team games or needs to go on loan or if we need to trade earlier or later.
“Ultimately it’s going to be a collective decision but it’s driven by the technical staff and we’re relying on them to make those judgements regarding the players’ development.
“There are times when it’s better for us to keep a player in and around our first team group, training with us and getting the odd first team appearance from the bench or in cup games, while on other occasions it’s better for them to go out on loan in Europe and others it’s better for them to stay in this country and be somewhere where we can keep a far closer eye on them.
Ferguson looks set for a very bright future indeed
“For those decisions, Tony and I leave them to the technical staff and we only really get involved when we get to the financial decisions and where we go next.
“It’s a combined effort, it’s a team effort and we’re as much of a team off the pitch as we are on it and Tony and I both believe that we’ve got to work collaboratively and effectively, but ultimately, Roberto De Zerbi is making the big calls when it comes to the playing squad.
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