"Would be a fantastic signing" - Pundit backs Burnley FC to win race for Brighton star | OneFootball

Carlton Palmer spoke exclusively to Football League World about Burnley's interest in Brighton and Hove Albion forward Evan Ferguson

Pundit and former England international Carlton Palmer has backed Burnley to complete an ambitious loan deal for Brighton and Hove Albion's Evan Ferguson, who is also being targeted by both Leicester City and Fulham.

For all their defensive resoluteness and structure, Burnley have flattered to deceive infront of goal under Scott Parker, who represents something of a polarising figure among the Turf Moor faithful.

Burnley were, of course, widely tipped for promotion before the start of the season and while Parker has them placed fourth in the Championship after 16 matches, they've hardly exhibited the standard of performances indicative of a swift Premier League return.

The Clarets boast the second-tier's most imperious defensive record and are currently conceding just 0.4 goals per match, having already kept ten clean sheets thus far, though the cause for concern is naturally at the other end of the pitch. Only three teams have accumulated a lower xG than Burnley's 16.4, which is less than rock bottom side QPR. They also rank 17th for shots on target per match but have scored 1.2 goals per game, indicating that Parker's side are actually overperforming somewhat infront of goal given the lack of tangible chance creation.

However, central midfielder Josh Brownhill is the only player to have scored more than two league goals for the Clarets this term, with the likes of Andreas Houtoundji, Zian Flemming and Lyle Foster all failing to hit the ground running. Acquiring another striker is imperative ahead of the January transfer window, where the Clarets are seemingly prepared to try their hand at an ambitious move for in-demand Brighton frontman Evan Ferguson.

Burnley's transfer interest in Brighton's Evan Ferguson

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon - via his exclusive Patreon service, Burnley are keen on striking a loan deal for the highly-rated Republic of Ireland international.

Ferguson, who was one of the hottest young striking properties in world football little over a year ago, has seen his trajectory slow down somewhat and now appears surplus to requirements on the south coast for the time being, with a loan exit in January surely on the cards.

The young forward broke onto the scene by scoring 10 top-flight goals for Brighton as a teenager during the 2022/23 season but endured an extensive goal drought last time out, while opportunities are coming at a premium under new boss Fabian Hurzeler, who took over in the summer and prefers both Joao Pedro and Danny Welbeck.

Burnley, however, may find it difficult to broker a deal for Ferguson, who unsurprisingly has Premier League interest. As recently reported by Football Insider, Leicester and Fulham are both pursuing a loan deal ahead of the January window for Ferguson, with the Cottagers having made an additional centre-forward a top priority.

Football Insider separately reported that Ferguson is ready to leave Brighton in January, as he's unhappy with the limited game time available under Hurzeler following his summer appointment. However, he is believed to prefer a switch to a fellow top-flight club as opposed to dropping down to the Championship according to Nixon's aforementioned report, which adds that a permanent depature has been mooted.

That's the deal which Leicester would need to strike in order to land his service, as they already have Brighton's highly-rated young playmaker Facundo Buonanotte on loan and they don't have space for another Premier League loanee, having also brought in Crystal Palace striker Odsonne Edouard for the campaign.

Just what sort of advantage that hands Burnley, if any at all, will only be determined in due course - but they've been backed to land his services nonetheless.

Carlton Palmer backs Burnley to sign Brighton's Evan Ferguson in January

We spoke exclusively to Palmer, who has backed Burnley to pull off the deal in January given their own goalscoring woes and the challenges Ferguson may encounter in obtaining regular match minutes at top-flight level.

"Burnley and Scott Parker are reportedly interested in signing Evan Ferguson from Brighton and Hove Albion," Palmer told Football League World.

"The 20-year-old striker wants and favours a move to the Premier League, one of the clubs that has been mooted is Leicester City, but they can't take him on loan. They would have to take him on a permanent deal and I doubt very much Brighton would sell him on at this moment of time.

"It's going to be very difficult for him. The clubs who are interested are at the bottom of the Premier League (Leicester), it's going to be problematic for him. He needs game time and it may be that he drops down to a team in the top of the Championship who are looking to get promoted automatically.

"He'd be an exciting signing for Burnley. He knows where the back of the net is, he's a very good player. He's still only 20 and has over 50 Premier League appearances under his belt, and he's proved that he has an eye for goal. So this would be a fantastic signing for Burnley, who are desperate to bring in a frontman.

"They've been relying on veteran striker Jay Rodriguez, he's performed well this season but he is of age. Burnley are missing that cutting edge in attack and Ferguson could provide that for them."