As another season comes to an end, a raft of loanees will return to Chelsea ahead of pre-season for the 2022/23 campaign. With the multi-billion pound takeover by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital only recently completed, there is an element of uncertainty as to how Chelsea’s squad could shape up next season - as such a number of returning loanees could be incorporated into the first team as the Blues compete in four competitions next campaign.
One such player is 20-year-old striker Armando Broja, who got his first taste of Premier League football last season on the south coast with Southampton. Broja had a fine campaign during the 20/21 season in the Eredivisie with Vitesse, a club that also hosted the likes of Nemanja Matic, Mason Mount and Bertrand Traore on loan, earning him a move to England’s top flight to earn his stripes and pick up consistent minutes.
Broja featured in 30 of 34 available league games in the Netherlands, scoring 10 and assisting two, the joint-highest goal tally in the squad (in the equivalent of 20.7 full 90 minutes), as Vitesse secured their highest league finish since 2013, and qualification to the newly created Europa Conference League.
Advert
Only turning 20 last September, another loan spell appeared to be the best move for the youngster - joining up with fellow Premier League side Southampton last August, who also snapped up Academy Player of the Year Tino Livramento and ex-Cobham defender Dynel Simeu.
In the Saints’ first seven league games Broja primarily featured off the bench as the club only picked up four points, including not being included in the squad in three games (one of which was ineligibility to face his parent club). However his first start, against Leeds United at home on 16 October, saw the Albanian bag the winner - a well-taken right footed finish from the centre of the box past Illan Meslier in the 53rd minute.
Broja followed this up with a superb finish in the 2-2 draw with Burnley at St Mary’s Stadium, showing composure and clinical-ness to capitalise on a mistake in midfield. Broja also bagged a brace versus Newport County in the Carabao Cup, and played the full 120 minutes as Southampton beat Sheffield United on penalties in the third round.
Advert
Broja then got a run of 22 consecutive league games, including 12 starts of a possible 13 between December and March, scoring four and assisting one. A personal highlight came in a 2-3 comeback away at Spurs in February - a trademark right footed finish in the box past Hugo Lloris to make it 1-1.
It’s worth mentioning the context behind Broja’s lack of raw output with regards to goals and assists. The Albanian, whose preferred position is through the middle as a centre forward, was often forced wide under Ralph Hasenhuttl’s system to allow Nathan Redmond or Stuart Armstrong to exploit interior attacking areas - visible in his heat map for last season in the league:
The Saints’ league form was also relatively unstable and unpredictable - despite wins against Tottenham and Arsenal, they lost three on the spin to Aston Villa, Newcastle and Watford in March, conceding eight, whilst losing six of their final eight games, conceding 21. Southampton ended the season with the fourth most goals conceded in the division, letting in 14 more than relegated Burnley.
Advert
Broja ended the season with nine goals and an assist in 38 games across all competitions - averaging a contribution every 234 minutes. Whilst Broja, and Chelsea fans alike, would’ve liked the youngster to have hit upwards of double figures in league goals, the side weren’t exactly a flurry of attacking output, with captain James Ward-Prowse leading the way with 11 goals. With Ward-Prowse playing a few more games over the course of the season, Broja’s ‘goals per 90’ was superior (0.35 v 0.26) and the best in the squad.
His minutes per 90 (260) also ranked highest, whilst his shot conversion percentage of 20 percent was joint third, with defender Jan Bednarek highest scoring only four goals.
Broja’s underlying statistics are also fairly good, painting a picture of a tenacious and aggressive striker still picking up valuable minutes in an intense league. His ‘pressures in the attacking third’ per 90 (9.39) ranks in the top 15 percent for strikers across Europe’s ‘top five’ leagues, whilst his carries into the penalty area per 90 (1.41) is in the top 10 percent.
Broja also remains a dangerous aerial threat at 6’3 - his 4.28 aerials won per 90 ranks him in the top 14 percent for European strikers, and could couple nicely with Reece James and Ben Chilwell’s crossing threat.
Advert
Many Chelsea fans have pined for Broja to return to the first team squad next season and compete for a starting place, with potentially over 60 games to compete in. However, this appears to be wishful thinking - with Romelu Lukaku, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner occupying forward positions on big wages and long contracts.
With Lukaku constantly linked with a return to Inter Milan and Serie A, this may open the window for Broja to rotate with Havertz for the centre-forward position, potentially featuring in Carabao Cup and FA Cup games.
However, Lukaku is under contract until 2026 on a reported £300,000+ a week wages, with Inter financially hamstrung and forced to abide by UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules. Another season with Lukaku at the Bridge seems inevitable - and Broja’s best bet is likely to be another loan spell to pick up more first-team experience.
Advert
The striker certainly isn’t short of suitors. In recent weeks, Broja has been linked with moves to West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle, Arsenal and Everton, the latter under the stewardship of Frank Lampard, who gave the youngster his Chelsea debut in March 2020.
While Chelsea may be tempted to cash in on Broja this summer to help supplement the existing transfer kitty, with the striker valued at £16.2m by TransferMarkt, my personal view is that Broja should be loaned to another Premier League side for the 2022/23 season and aim to hit 15 goals across all competitions, whilst remaining a central member of any side’s first team. With Dominic Calvert-Lewin reportedly set to leave Everton this summer, a move to Goodison Park under Lampard could be a very astute move.
VERDICT: Loan
Topics: Chelsea, Premier League
Finn Williams