Now, with Ferguson on loan at the Hammers, Seagulls fans will be keeping an eye on his progress and pondering Albion’s future plans up front.
Potter shared the recruitment decision while discussing Ferguson’s upcoming debut for West Ham.
Speaking last week, Potter said: “We had these conversations even when he was 17 at Brighton around, ‘Let’s not sign a centre-forward because we’ve got Evan coming through’. We had huge belief in him.
“But injuries can stop you and all of a sudden you haven’t played as much, you haven’t scored as much and then you’re not quite the same thing.
“But the quality is still there. It’s just our job now to get him on the pitch, help him enjoy his football.
“As a young player you need to give him a bit of time before you make real assessments and put price tags like that on them, but it is what it is.”