Back in January, Evan Ferguson was all set to revive his Premier League career at West Ham, while doubts grew around Jake O’Brien ever making the cut at Everton.
We can flip those theories on their heads.
Before Everton signed Leighton Baines from Wigan in 2007, and I’d already moved the other way the previous season, both David Moyes and his assistant Jimmy Lumsden called me up.
An informal background check, if you will. They were easy conversations.
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“Sign him. He’s too good for Wigan. He’s an Everton player – from the area, top pro, future England left-back.”
That was the gist of my glowing reference. Moyes pulled the trigger, paying around six million quid after presumably promising Leighton the world.
All managers do this. They’ll say anything to sign a player or draw out a performance.
About six months later I had a difficult conversation with Leighton, who had barely played since the move.
“Kev, I hate it here ...”
Joleon Lescott – all 6ft 3in of him – was the Everton left back until further notice.
Moyes was unconvinced by Baines, mainly because he was five-foot-seven. My old gaffer loves a big full-back, like O’Brien who is a towering 6ft 6in.
But there is a method behind how Moyes develops young, powerful centre-halves and it starts by shifting them to full-back.
Moyes replaced Sean Dyche in January and Everton went nine matches unbeaten (until the derby at Anfield) to steer clear of relegation with O’Brien at right-back as James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite started at the heart of the defence.
O’Brien kept his place despite the return from injury of international full-backs Séamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson.
Watch what happens next season. I bet that Jake will be eased across to partner Tarkowski as I think Branthwaite will leave.
Just like how Lescott briefly broke into the England team the next year and Baines cemented his place at left-back – mainly because he developed a lethal partnership with Steven Pienaar down the left.
After 350 appearances over the next 13 seasons, Leighton loves the place now.
O’Brien is the sort of Irish story we need to keep coming out of English football.
Nathan Collins has been Brentford’s iron man all season, playing every single second in the Premier League. But we expected Collins to excel. I’m not taking anything away from a monumental feat of endurance, but he always showed the potential to be a top player.
Dara O’Shea has been solid in an Ipswich side that seemed destined for relegation once Chiedozie Ogbene and Sammie Szmodics went under the knife.
Kieran McKenna even made O’Shea captain when injuries piled up and he filled a gap at right-back.
Matt Doherty is another Irishman who kept working hard and was rewarded when Vítor Pereira replaced Gary O’Neil as Wolves manager in December.
Pereira made Doherty the right centre-half in a back five with his form and experience convincing Heimir Hallgrímsson to start him over O’Brien for last month’s Nations League play-off against Bulgaria.
O’Brien got the nod over O’Shea, to play alongside Collins, for the second-leg win in Dublin but Pereira has done the Irish squad some service as a match-fit Doherty – with all his experience – is invaluable.
All the above, and the enduring Robbie Brady at Preston indicates that the Ireland defence will be in good shape when the World Cup qualifiers roll around in September.
Let’s get greedy. If Ferguson and Finn Azaz could find their way into Premier League teams by August, there is an outside chance of qualifying for North America 2026.
Azaz is a safer bet than Ferguson, who presumably went to West Ham on loan because his former Brighton manager Graham Potter promised him the world.
Managers will say anything to get a deal over the line.
To be fair to Potter, he would have played Ferguson if he saw a sharp centre forward in training but since that horror tackle by Fabinho in January 2023 – when the Brazilian went down the back of Evan’s Achilles and ankle – injuries have dwindled his Premier League minutes.
The move to West Ham was supposed to get him back on track but Niclas Füllkrug’s return from injury gives Potter the target man he needs.
Ferguson can only write off the last few months and get himself ready for Brighton’s preseason. Still only 20, he’s better than Danny Welbeck and just needs to convince Seagulls manager Fabian Hürzeler.
Or look for a quick, permanent move in June.
Azaz has 10 goals and 11 assists in 41 Championship games for Middlesbrough. Those numbers should entice a club like Crystal Palace to sign him this summer, similar to how Ogbene and Szmodics played their way into the Premier League.
After that, Azaz must take his chance when it comes and never drop off the standard. Not for a second. Not in the most ruthless, unsentimental league in world sport.
