The Daily Mirror are today reporting that West Ham are interested in Chelsea striker Armando Broja.
After 6 months backing up Nicolas Jackson, Broja went to Fulham on loan in January and barely featured. Chelsea don’t feel like they need him, and as a home grown player he’s a really tempting option for them to sell as soon as possible as they look to get their books in order to try and comply with financial fair play regulations.
Broja played just 81 minutes for Fulham, registering one assist, and one would be forgiven for thinking his next move might involve dropping down to the Championship. But West Ham apparently see the talent within, and are willing to make a move for the Albania international, who is still just 22 years old.
A career that needs a reset
Poor Broja’s career has gone seriously off track since that precocious loan to Vitesse and then a good first run in the Premier League with Southampton. His bad injury not only damaged him physically, it also came at the worst possible moment for his career’s momentum, and he’s now set to enter his third season in a row with minimal action on the field.
The only way to overcome it is to get out and playing, and it’s heartening to see there’s still interest from top flight sides in the striker, who has certainly shown he has the tools to be a top flight player in the appearances he has made.
West Ham can be a bit of a striker’s graveyard, but with the way Julen Lopetegui is going to have them playing we can also see it being a nice fit for Broja.
The club’s dreams of getting big money for him are probably over, but perhaps a deal loaded with incentives could keep everyone happy?