Is Mark O’Mahony the next Evan Ferguson?

Mark O’Mahony joined Brighton in January 2023 from Cork City for a fee reported to be an initial £50,000, the latest in a long line of young Irish prospects to make the move to the Albion.

Just before he arrived in England, O’Mahony had been named FAI Under 17 Player of the Year for scoring 14 goals in 16 appearances for the Republic of Ireland at various youth levels in 2022.

The goals have flowed pretty freely for O’Mahony in a Brighton shirt. Despite only being 18-years-old, the striker has been fast tracked into the Albion Under 21s.

He has 11 goals from 14 appearances so far in 2023-24 and was named on the bench in the Premier League for the first time in the 1-1 draw against Sheffield United.

How excited should Brighton fans be about Mark O’Mahony?
It is all too easy to overhype numerous young players who are described as the next Duncan Edwards, Alan Shearer or Wayne Rooney. Titles all bestowed on a certain Evan Ferguson over the 12 months.

Brighton fans already have the fascination of seeing whether Ferguson can live up to this hype and his epithet as the hottest teenage prospect in the Premier League.

So far, so good. Ferguson recently became the first teenager since Rooney in 2005 to score 10 Premier League goals in a calendar year at the same time as extending his Albion contract to 2029.

The striking similarities between O’Mahony and Ferguson only increase the danger of over-expectation when it comes to O’Mahony’s fledgling career.

Subsequently, comparisons have inevitably started. In an unusual move, even the Brighton website itself has hyped up O’Mahony with a rare individual article focussing on a player from the development squad.

Titled Evan has high hopes for his fellow Irishman, Ferguson commented within it: “Yes, he’s big, sort of a similar size to me and he likes to score goals, as a striker that’s what you like to do.”

“He’s trained with us a few times. He’s good company, he’s a good lad. He works hard and is very concentrated. I know he’s got a good record in the Under 21s now so hopefully he kicks on and we see him here [in the first team] soon.”

The striking similarity
It is impossible to watch the Albion Under 21s and not see similarities between O’Mahony and Ferguson. The two Irish teenager have a similar build and stature – Ferguson at 6’2 and O’Mahony at just over six foot.

TargetScouting.com describe O’Mahony as: “Deceptively mobile for his size at more than six feet tall with a broad frame.” It is a depiction you could equally apply to Ferguson.

Whilst accepting that O’Mahony is playing at a significantly lower level in Premier League 2, he already shows similar traits in hold-up play, the ability for incisive passes to his teammates and above all the instinct to be in the right place and apply the necessary finish.

That to date gives him a better Under 21s goals-per-game ratio than Ferguson, although such statistics come with a caveat in that Aaron Connolly exceeded both Ferguson and O’Mahony so far.

What next for Mark O’Mahony?
Brighton fast tracked Ferguson into the Under 21s, bypassing their Under 18s setup. He was then a fully fledged part of Roberto De Zerbi’s first team squad at the age of 18 without having spent any time out on loan.

With O’Mahony now 18-years-old himself, it will be fascinating to see if he stays with the Under 21s, heads out on loan in January or whether De Zerbi decides he is ready to follow his compatriot into the first team squad.

Brighton are not currently blessed for centre forward options with Danny Welbeck injured and Deniz Undav out on loan. Ferguson too has suffered with a series of minor problems this season.

Just as Ferguson burst onto the Premier League scene post-Christmas last year, might O’Mahony be set to do so in the second half of the campaign? Watch this space.

Peter Finn