Chelsea have a great striker in Armando Broja.
Speaking after his side’s 3-1 loss against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday, Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said that the Saints are looking to find a solution that works best for the player and the club, when asked about Chelsea loanee Armando Broja‘s future in the south coast (h/t football.london).
The Albanian striker has been a revelation at St Mary’s stadium so far this season, having scored five goals in just under 800 minutes. Given his form for the Saints, it is understood that there have been recent talks between Southampton and Chelsea over a permanent switch for the loanee.
Hasenhuttl gave an honest reply when quizzed about Broja’s future at the club, claiming that the player knows what he has to do in the given situation and that money is not a factor for his stay at St. Mary’s.
“We will find a solution that is hopefully the best for the player and also for us. There are various options that you can talk about but the most important thing is that the player knows what he has to do. This isn’t about money, it is about feeling comfortable and getting a good atmosphere to develop your game and to get better and better.”
Broja only recently signed a new five-year contract at Chelsea, before he departed on loan the previous summer to join the Saints. The Albanian followed fellow academy graduate Tino Livramento to Hasenhuttl’s side, though Livramento joined Southampton on a permanent deal.
The 20-year-old has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water, impressing everyone with his abilities and claiming a starting spot in this Saints side almost every week. It is no surprise to see his parent club interested in his future beyond the summer, as the Albanian boasts of a shot conversion rate of 25 per cent, which is higher than Chelsea’s senior striker Romelu Lukaku, who ranks at 22.7 per cent.
Hasenhuttl has hinted at Broja being comfortable during his stay on the south coast, playing regular minutes and settling in with Saints players that he knows from his time at Chelsea.
“I think that he knows very clear what he has with us at this club and that he feels super good here, everyone knows that. He knows Tino [Livramento] and Dynel [Simeu] from Chelsea, he knows Will [Smallbone] and Nathan Tella.”
With Broja being a smash hit for the Saints and Chelsea having their own worries up front, it will come as no surprise that both Southampton and the Blues are keen on having the striker in their squads next season, after the player’s loan deal at St. Mary’s expires.
While the Albanian is guaranteed regular minutes and has already settled into life with Hasenhuttl’s side, the forward may not be the leading candidate at Chelsea to lead the line for the Blues. Timo Werner and Lukaku may not be firing at their full potential at the moment, but there are no guarantees that Tuchel would drop the duo in favour of Broja next season.
Tuchel has already provided a message to his on-loan striker, advising Broja to focus more on the present than his next destination. The German coach will be keen to monitor the 20-year-old’s progress with the Saints for the remainder of the season, while keeping an eye out for his own strikers’ form in Werner and Lukaku.
Broja has been one of many stars to come out of Cobham recently, and our Albanian striker definitely seems to be worth the full package with his performances for Southampton this season. Given our current attacking duo’s shaky form, we do not need to look further than Broja to not only act as cover for our strikers but also provide them ample competition for a place in Tuchel’s starting lineup.
If Broja manages to be a success at Stamford Bridge next season, it would also help the fans get over our club’s decision of letting Tammy Abraham join AS Roma last summer. The England international would have been a smart option to help us with our goal scoring troubles right now, but with Broja now making his mark, it remains to be seen if he can become the next academy graduate to lead Chelsea’s attack in the near future.
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