West Brom welcomed Nathan Ferguson back into the Championship last week but a Premier League switch, with Spurs and Palace linked, looks inevitable.
Nathan Ferguson is still likely to leave West Bromwich Albion in the near future despite seeing a January move to Crystal Palace collapse, Baggies technical director Luke Dowling has told the BBC.
It’s hard to believe that, just before Slaven Bilic took over at The Hawthorns, a young centre-back by the name of Ferguson was set to be released by the Midland giants.
But as soon as the Croatian tactician arrived back in English football, he made a teenager many had written off a key part of his first-team plans.
Ferguson has been transformed from a central defender into a buccaneering full-back with great success under Bilic, so much so that he was on the verge of a move to the Premier League after just 20 league appearances.
But, after a potential knee problem was uncovered during his deadline-day medical in London, Crystal Palace pulled the plug on the £4 million deal.
Ferguson returned to West Brom soon after but Dowling clearly feels that it is only a matter of time before the 19-year-old leaves for good.
“The discussions we’ve had with his representatives since deadline day suggest that he’ll still leave us at the end of the season,” he said of the teenager, who is due to become a free agent in the summer.
“We look at ourselves and we know the size of the contract we offered and the opportunity we’ve given him on the pitch so we’ve done everything we can (to keep Ferguson).”
Crystal Palace might soon be regretting their decision to walk away, with the Birmingham Mail reporting that Roy Hodgson’s side will face competition from Tottenham Hotspur if they renew their interest in a few months.
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