Nathan Ferguson: Player Profile
Born in Birmingham at the turn of the century, 21-year old Nathan Ferguson spent his entire career at West Bromwich Albion before joining Crystal Palace in the summer of 2020. Despite having joined The Eagles nearly 2 years ago, Ferguson’s debut only came midway through this season, due to a torrid run with injuries. As a result, he is one of the only unknown variables in Patrick Vieira’s Palace squad, so let’s find out what makes him tick!
Ferguson made his first-team debut for The Baggies in 2019. His performances were so impressive that he kept experienced fullbacks Darnell Furlong and Conor Townsend out of the Albion starting 11, and went on to make 21 appearances for Slaven Bilic’s title-winning side before picking up a serious knee injury. It wasn’t only Bilic that admired his talent, though - Crystal Palace were quick to show interest in Ferguson, and upon the expiry of his contract, he signed for the Eagles.
In the current system employed by Patrick Vieira, Joel Ward tucks in during attacks to form a 3-back defence, whilst Tyrick Mitchell darts forward to overload the left wing. This has resulted in Michael Olise’s offensive talents being underused, as he is often forced to pass backwards or sideways due to a lack of support. This is where Nathan Ferguson can help Crystal Palace - his heatmap for the 19/20 season (courtesy of SofaScore) shows that he is able to trek the length of the pitch, supporting the attack when necessary.
Season Heatmap
His ability to assist the attack will come in handy should Patrick Vieira decide to implement the same attacking playstyle on the opposite side of the pitch, with Tyrick Mitchell tucking in and Ferguson advancing. Ferguson is comfortable in possession (72.6 touches per 90; 77% pass accuracy; 47 passes per 90) and is capable of either cutting inside or hugging the touchline. However, he has shown a reluctance to put crosses into the box, averaging only 0.2 accurate crosses per 90. This could be put down to the style of football West Bromwich Albion played during his time there, though.
Nathan Ferguson can support the attack when necessary.
It wasn’t just his attacking qualities that encouraged the Eagles to fight for his signature. In his only full season as a first team player, he showed that he is tidy in defence (no errors leading to opposition shots/goals; no penalties conceded) and extremely strong in duels (6.9 duels won per 90, 57% success rate). To add to his defensive repertoire, Smarterscout notes his ability to disrupt opposition moves, which is certainly important considering our high line when in possession in the opposition half.
We’re not the only admirers of Ferguson’s talents. Patrick Vieira made his praises known for the 21-year-old in a recent interview for the club website:
" He has been really impressive. He can defend really well in one versus one situations. He has really good pace and is a really interesting young player. "
— Patrick Vieira
Despite all this promise, his lengthy spells on the sidelines have caused Palace fans worry. His original knee injury, along with a thigh strain, kept him away from first-team football for the entirety of his first season with the Eagles, and just as he was looking to make his return, he tore his achilles tendon in a freak training accident. With his transfer fee down to a tribunal, and a potential multi-million pound price tag, it appeared as though Nathan Ferguson’s time at Crystal Palace would be an expensive mistake - but the final verdict was a fee of only £900k, much to the outrage of The Baggies.
Crystal Palace fans can be hopeful for Nathan Ferguson’s future.
It now seems as though Nathan Ferguson’s injury problems are behind him, and at only 21 years of age, his signature appears to be a shrewd piece of business for the Eagles. Crystal Palace fans can be hopeful for Nathan Ferguson’s future - he’s a player with an incredibly high ceiling, and could potentially be the successor to Palace legend Joel Ward.
We can’t wait for Fergie Time.
❤️ 💙
Mihai Patrascu
A relatively new Palace fan (ca. 2015) with a background in science, Mihai uses his love for numbers to make sense of team performances and transfer policies. While his main focus is Palace, he also writes more general statistical analyses on his own website (https://tacticsnotantics.org/). Apart from football, Mihai enjoys reading, cooking, and swimming. You can follow his updates at @TacticsBadger on Twitter.
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