Journalist Tom Barclay thinks Nathan Ferguson will prove to be an excellent signing for Crystal Palace if he can get fit.
Ferguson joined the Eagles from West Brom back in July 2020, but the final transfer fee for the player was only settled at a recent tribunal.
What's the latest news involving Ferguson?
The 21-year-old is yet to play for Palace after struggling with hamstring and Achilles tendon injuries during his time in south London.
That has not kept him out of the headlines, though. Having failed to agree on a suitable transfer fee, a tribunal was called to determine the fee that Palace would have to pay West Brom.
The Baggies will have been hoping for a significant fee, possibly around the £8m that they thought they had agreed in January 2020.
However, the final ruling came through earlier this month, with it being confirmed that Palace must only pay the Championship club £900,000 for Ferguson.
What has Barclay said about Ferguson?
With the ruling going in Palace's favour, as they have to pay less than £1m to West Brom, Barclay feels Patrick Vieira could have an exceptional young talent at his disposal, should the defender recover from his injury setbacks.
Speaking about Ferguson to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “If he can get back fit then they’ll have an absolute steal on their hands.”
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When could Ferguson make his Palace debut?
Given that he hasn't played a senior game of football since January 2020, Palace will have to be careful with bringing Ferguson into the fold.
The youngster has been out of action for nearly two years, and he cannot afford another injury blow.
However, according to Transfermarkt, he could be back available at the end of this month, which would be a big boost for Vieira.
At the moment, the Premier League outfit appear to have a pretty settled back four, with Joel Ward and Tyrick Mitchell covering the full-back positions, while Joachim Andersen and Marc Guehi are forming a promising centre-back partnership.
Therefore, Ferguson may have to wait for his debut, but the fact that he can play anywhere across the back four could work in his favour, as it means that he could come in and cover for any of the regular starters, particularly during the busy festive period next month.
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