IRISH striker Evan Ferguson has said he has something to prove after moving to Italian giants Roma.
The 20-year-old has joined the Giallorossi from Brighton and Hove Albion on a one-year loan deal, with the Italians having the option to make the switch permanent.
He joins midfielder Neil Yoni El Aynaoui and goalkeeping prospect Radoslaw Zelezny as new manager Gian Piero Gasperini's first signings.
"When you have a club like Roma — one of the biggest in Europe — that are interested, it's hard to turn down, especially when you feel like they want you to come here," Ferguson said in an interview with his new club.
Ferguson’s star has waned somewhat after bursting onto the scene with the Seagulls in the 2022/23 season, scoring 10 goals in 25 appearances.
He began the following campaign strongly, scoring six goals in the first 12 league games but injuries and a dip in form hampered the second half of his season.
Last term saw him make 15 appearances for Brighton before spending the second half of the campaign at West Ham, where he featured just eight times.
With just seven club goals over the last two seasons, the Bettystown native will be hoping he can get a run in the Roma side to show just what he is capable of.
"The main thing I want to do is come here and score goals and prove myself and get back out there," Ferguson told his new club.
Meanwhile, as the first Irishman to play for Roma, he added: "Hopefully I can do well and lead the path out here and hopefully we can have more in the future."
Roma, who won the last of their three Serie A titles in 2001, finished fifth in the league last term.
It means the club and Ferguson will play European football this season, having qualified for the league stage of the UEFA Europa League.
The Irishman, who has five goals in 22 games for his country, will wear the number 11 shirt for the Giallorossi.
He could make his debut for this club in Saturday's friendly at German second-tier side Kaiserslautern.
Meanwhile, Ferguson may be back in England sooner than expected with Roma set to face Premier League sides Aston Villa and Everton in preseason friendlies next month.
See More: Brighton And Hove Albion, Evan Ferguson, Roma
