Celtic warned against summer transfer as EPL marksman told 'you're not mentally strong enough'

The Republic of Ireland international has spent the last season on loan to Serie A giants AS Roma, but looks set to return to the Seagulls at the end of the campaign after scoring just three league goals for the club before a thigh injury ended his season prematurely in January.

His struggles in the Italian capital mirror his difficult stint on loan to West Ham United the previous season, leading Ferguson to be linked with a potential move to boyhood club Celtic next season as he looks to kick-start a career that started so brightly when he scored 10 goals in his 2022/23 breakout season at the AMEX Stadium.

While the 21-year-old's ability is in no doubt, former Irish international Andy Townsend believes a move to Parkhead could be more than the young striker could handle, saying: “I'm sure Evan Ferguson has been scratching his head an awful lot. I never had injuries that were those consistent nagging injuries where you were in, you're out. I had injuries, but I was always able to come back and then get going again.

“I think after a while, I think your initial thought process when you're getting injured is that you’re unlucky. You’re one of those players that's just going to be unlucky with injuries. That's a very natural emotional thought process, I would imagine. Evan’s at that point, he's got to look the other way and he's got to see what else he can do. When players are injured all the time, managers start to look at them differently. That's the problem now.

“He'd done so well as a young man. Since then, it's been disappointing, it's been injuries, it's been a lack of form, it's been other issues. Evan’s now got to look at himself and decide which way he's going to go. He's got the ability, we've seen that, but I think his lifestyle now has got to be adjusted in order to give his body the best chance and he's got to do whatever it takes.

“Can he go at Celtic and score goals? Yes, he could. I genuinely believe he could go to Scotland and score goals. He could cope with the physicality. But the mental side of it at the moment, I'm not so sure. He's got to be mentally tough to go and play for a club like Celtic. When you're in and out all the time and you're doubting your body, it's not always easy. So he needs to get his body in a position where it can cope. I hope he can do that.”

Townsend also discussed the form of Ferguson’s international teammate, and former Celtic forward, Adam Idah, following his debut season at Swansea City. After struggling to replicate the form that convinced the Hoops to pay Norwich City a reported fee of £9.5million to make his loan move permanent two summers ago, the 25-year-old was allowed to depart the club at the beginning of this season.

While injury disrupted his progress at Swansea, the Cork native ended the season with six goals and two assists from six starts, including a brace on the final day of the season in a 3-1 win over Charlton Athletic.

“I think Adam [Idah] has had opportunities at clubs and not really been able to grab them,” Townsend told BetVictor. “I think Adam is a Championship striker and I think that's where he should stay. From an Ireland perspective, you don't want players to go to Premier League clubs and sit on the bench, playing 12 times in a season and then only getting 10 minutes here and there.

“I'm sure [Republic of Ireland boss] Heimir Halgrimsson would much rather see Adam playing regularly at a Championship club and scoring somewhere between 14-18 goals in a season. That is far more beneficial to Ireland. I think Adam can be a reliable Championship striker, but I don't think he's got quite enough to do it in the Premier League.”

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