Roma loaned center Evan Ferguson from Brighton this summer. In an exclusive interview with Sporting Milan, Ferguson talked about the goals of the new season and other topics.
You came from a football family, so was your love for football born?
"I started playing football with my good friends on the street. Later, after we moved to Dublin, we started systematic training. My grandfather also played football, but not a professional player; my father was a professional player, played for Coventry, and was selected for the Irish U21. Obviously, these all have an impact on me. I was born with football genes. My sister Ellie was also a member of the Irish youth team, and later chose to go to the United States to study for college, and now she no longer plays football."
You are the first Irish player in Roman history. How do you feel?
"I only knew it when I got here. Of course this makes me proud, especially in the country where Rome can represent me."
Gasperini has produced many excellent centers under his command. Is it your turn now?
"Yes, I know that many forwards under him have become famous. Scoring a lot of goals with him is definitely a good thing for me."
How to see the competition with Dovpick
"Football can only be 11 people, and it is normal to have competition in the same position, so you have to train hard. But you may also play with him: I played double forwards with Dybala in the first warm-up match."
Last season, you only scored 1 goal in Brighton and West Ham. What happened?
"It was a difficult year. I had an ankle injury in the first six months, and later decided to loan West Ham, but the result was not ideal. But now I am in good health." How many goals should I scored in
be considered to achieve the goal?
"I usually don't set specific numbers. Of course I hope to score goals in every game, although it's not easy. 20 goals? I hope to reach this number."
Roma wants to return to the Champions League
"Roma is a big club, with ambitions, and I believe we can do it. As players and teams, we must work in this direction. Fans deserve a higher ranking than fifth place. When I came to Roma as a Brighton player, the atmosphere on the scene was particularly great, and the players were like they were bleeding."
If Roma decided to buy you out in June, what would you think?
"The new season has just begun, who can say the future is accurate? Now I just want to perform well, maybe I have the chance to stay here."
There are also teams in the Premier League who want you, why did they choose Roma?
"This is a club with a profound history, this is a challenge and a new opportunity. I like different things. And the chairman Friedkin has a grand goal."
In England, you are compared to the new Kane and the new Hiller, and the pressure is very high. "The outside world says a lot, I can't control it, and I try not to think about it, just want to do my own thing. Just like the rumors that Chelsea and Tottenham have to spend 100 million pounds to buy me, the valuation does not depend on us. I don't think about it, nor do I know whether it is true or false."
Is there any center who is your role model?
"I like to learn the best centers: Kane, Suarez, Ibrahimovic, and Lewandowski."
What do you think of Italian coaches?
"Many people say that Italian coaches are more defensive, and I thought so before; later I met Dezelby, and now I am with Gasperini, and then I realize that this is not the case."