It's fair to say Lewis Ferguson caught the Celtic fans' eyes last night

By David Walton

April 22, 2021

There were many in red who will have impressed last night, but none more so than Lewis Ferguson, who netted yet again against Celtic.

Ferguson’s first-half volley made it goal number four against Celtic for Aberdeen. He has a habit of producing against us – bagging a brace the last time we visited Pittodrie back in October too.

But it was his overall performance that will have impressed many. In the first half in particular, Aberdeen were ticking because Ferguson was ticking. Stat-trackers WhoScored gave him the man-of-the-match award with a stunning 8.21/10. Captaining the Dons, he fired in five shots on our goal all evening with as many as four of them on target.

He stood out massively in a midfield battle against the likes of Scott Brown and Callum McGregor. It’s a sign of how well he’s been developed in the Granite City. He’s made incredible strides up north since signing from Hamilton Academical back in 2018.

Celtic are going to have a gap that needs to be filled in the midfield this summer. With Scott Brown leaving to join Aberdeen, Ferguson could easily be a contender for a potential summer raid on the Dons. His 20 goals and 22 assists in 120 appearances for Aberdeen show a real wealth of experience to the 21-year-old’s name [Transfermarkt].

And the case against Lewis Ferguson to Celtic?

Of course, others will have a different view on this.

Just because Brown is leaving doesn’t necessarily mean we need a new face in the door. Liam Shaw is already due to arrive as a long-term project from Sheffield Wednesday. Ismaila Soro, meanwhile, is also ready and looks best replaced to take over from the Celtic captain in terms of his position.

You then have the fact that Ferguson isn’t going to come cheap either. With a contract that runs until the summer of 2024, Aberdeen hold all the aces. They deserve a hefty fee for how much they’ve brought the talented midfielder on since arriving from Accies.

Lewis Ferguson celebrates scoring against Celtic (Photo by Scott Baxter/Getty Images)

But whether Celtic, in a summer in which they’ll have a host of signings to make elsewhere, would want to splash heavy cash on a position they could be fine in? It’s a big ask and likely one that won’t happen.

However, on the flip side once again, we’ve seen how successful signing young talent from Scottish clubs can be. David Turnbull arrived in the summer from Motherwell and is arguably our most influential player. Our biggest regret in recent years has been failing to sign John McGinn from Hibs. That’s not even mentioning the likes of Brown, Scott McDonald, and Anthony Stokes who all came from Premiership clubs and made an impact. Even Jonny Hayes left well respected and admired by Hoops fans.

And many believe Ferguson could be the next Scottish talent to thrive at Parkhead. Here’s a look at what many said about him last night:

https://twitter.com/Rikos67_/status/1384952907087458305

In other news, Patryk Klimala’s Celtic to New York Red Bulls fee has broken a club record.