“Good as a sub”- PL manager lauds 20-year-old Chelsea loanee before Boxing Day tie

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl lauds Chelsea loanee Armando Broja for top-notch attitude ahead of West Ham tie

According to Football.London, Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has given massive praise to Chelsea loanee Armando Broja, who has capitalized on his opportunities at St. Mary’s this season. 

Armando Broja has been the talk of the town at Southampton this season. The 20-year-old has become a key player for the Saints during this campaign. The Chelsea loanee has netted six goals in 15 matches across all competitions, which is a decent output for a player who is playing in only the second top-flight season of his career.  

The impressive performances of Broja have earned massive praise from Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl. The Saints manager lauded the Chelsea loanee for his contribution during the reverse fixture against the Hammers back in September. Ralph further lauded the 20-year-old forward’s goalscoring intent in this campaign. 

“He is good as a sub, and he has also shown in the past that he can start. He’s got four goals after starting so good, good average, to be honest.”

The Southampton manager revealed that the injury to Che Adams opened the bag of opportunities for Broja, which he has capitalized in emphatic fashion.  

“He grabbed a chance because of Che’s [Adams] injury. He was there, and he did everything to help him get a chance again. This is what you have to do as a young player.”

Chelsea strikers have been pretty quiet this season. Blues’ record signing Romelu Lukaku has scored only three goals in the Premier League, which is one less than Broja has netted in that time. Furthermore, Timo Werner’s poor goal scoring run needs a serious discussion. Injuries and a Covid outbreak at Cobham have made their availability even more scarce.  

Broja’s incredible growth suggests that he could become a long-term solution to Chelsea’s potential attacking problems. The North London fans would be happy to see the Albanian player replicate the success of academy graduates such as Mason Mount and Reece James.

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However, it remains to be seen if Thomas Tuchel requires his services from next year. Lukaku isn’t getting any younger, after all, and Werner has recently been linked with a move away from the Bridge.

Broja can be caught in action on Boxing Day as Southampton take on West Ham United. If he continues to impress, then who knows, he could feature for our senior team more regularly from next season. After all, we did free up some space up front this summer when we sold Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud to AS Roma and AC Milan respectively.