In the last 12 months, Scotland international Lewis Ferguson has become one of the finest midfielders in the Serie A. Capable of playing as a central midfielder, attacking midfielder and left winger, the 24-year-old has become one of the best players in Bologna despite enduring a tough start at the club. His meteoric rise has attracted the interest of Juventus and Lazio while he has recently been linked with Liverpool.
Lewis Ferguson – Player Profile
Position Attacking Midfield
Age: 24
Preferred Foot: Right
Current Club: Bologna
Style of Play
Lewis Ferguson’s best role is as an attacking midfielder which is where he has thrived the most under Thiago Motta. He likes to get on the ball, combining with his teammates with short and medium passes which he excels at though he is not a good long passer of the ball.
The Hamilton Academy Product also likes to make late runs into the box to get at the end of chances, score from set pieces and shoot from outside the 18-yard box, which makes it perfect for him to be called a goal-scoring midfielder.
Another interesting trait about this fast-rising star is that he works his socks off the ball as he makes a good number of defensive actions.
In Possession
The Hamilton-born midfielder is very active while his team has the ball and doesn’t have to rely on being fed to impact games. Per Fbref.com, he averages 1.59 touches per game which is above average for players of his ilk.
It is worthy of note that he is not a good dribbler, or a good ball carrier, loses possession often and gets dispossessed easily.
Passing
As earlier stated, Lewis Ferguson is a good passer which he does by combining with his nearest teammate and his 86.9% passing accuracy per game is evidence of that. Interestingly, despite playing in a more advanced role, he is always involved in the build-up as he averages 54.5% passes per game in the Serie this season, the third-highest in the Genoa squad.
However, he doesn’t attempt long passes often and on the few occasions he attempts the same, his passing accuracy has been average.
More so, he does know how to put teammates in shooting positions, averaging the 5th highest key passes per game this season for Bologna.
Goal Contribution
As previously mentioned, Ferguson is a goal-scoring midfielder though he is not in the ilk of James Madison or Kevin de Bruyne yet. He can score with his head, and shoot from inside and outside the box accurately when he is on song.
Last season, he mustered 7 goals in 32 games in the Serie A and is on the course of equalling or bettering that tally this season having registered 3 goals already.
While the talented midfielder failed to provide an assist in the Italian top flight last season, he has 3 already this campaign which shows his creativity.
Defensive Contributions
Lewis Ferguson has also proved to be an asset off the ball with his defensive assets which makes him suitable for a low-block-playing team and a high-pressing one.
He ranks 5th for most tackles, 8th for most blocks and 9th for most interceptions per game in the Bologna squad this season.
Conclusion
From the foregoing, there is no gain saying that Lewis Ferguson’s quality is not in doubt and will be a good addition to any top side in need of an attacking midfielder though he will need to add more consistency and iron out the flaws in his game to fulfil his potential.
To achieve that, he has to make sure he goes to a club that will provide an environment for him to thrive better and become a world-class player when he leaves Bologna.
