Broja performances at Saints proving he warrants a future at Chelsea
One of Chelsea's top scorers in the Premier League this season doesn't even currently ply his trade for the Blues. There has been ample praise for Conor Gallagher, and deservedly so, given his excellent form for Crystal Palace this season, yet it was another member of Chelsea's 'Loan Army' that, to an extent, stole the headlines at Selhurst Park on Wednesday night.
Armando Broja netted Saints' decisive second in south London, bagging his fourth league goal of 2021/22 10 minutes before the break. For a player that has registered just 621 minutes of game time for the south coast side this term, it translates to a goal every 155.3 minutes, that the 10th best return of the 58 players to have netted three or more Premier League goals this season.
When taking into account that seven of the striker's 13 league outings this season have come from the bench, and that he has scored in four of six top-flight starts, and you can appreciate Chelsea fans' excitement surrounding the 20-year-old.
Broja put pen to paper on a five-year contract earlier in the summer prior to his move to Saints and after impressing in pre-season for the Blues, many at the club felt a temporary switch to a Premier League side would be beneficial. "Armando is a very talented player who we were impressed by last season," Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl said following the 20-year-old's move to St. Mary's, and it's easy to see why the Austrian spoke so highly of the youngster.
Broja struck 10 times from 30 appearances in the Eredivisie with Vitesse in 2020/21; no player for the Vites scored more. He is, then, following a similar path to Mason Mount, who excelled for the Dutch side before a loan move to Derby and then becoming a mainstay for both Chelsea and England. And Broja is, like Mount before him, making the most of his opportunity.
Of the 88 players to muster 15 or more shots, Broja's conversion rate of 23.5% is the fifth best in the Premier League, while one of those who can better his return is Mount (24.1%). In a world where the likes of Erling Haaland and Dusan Vlahovic are the young strikers earning the plaudits across the continent, and understandably so given their respective goal returns for Borussia Dortmund and Fiorentina, Broja is quietly going about his business and proving his worth in England's top tier, admittedly from a smaller sample size.
What is key, though, is that Broja's showing promise that he is more than capable of succeeding in the Premier League. Saints' average of 9.5 key passes per game is the seventh best this season, so it's not as though Hasenhuttl's side are struggling to create chances, but in a team of Chelsea's stature, and one that is creating 11.5 goalscoring opportunities per game, Broja has the potential to thrive for his parent side.
The Albania international has the physical attributes to succeed in the Premier League, while his versatility on the frontline is an added bonus with Broja able to operate out wide of need be. A decent operater with the ball at his feet, a return of 1.6 successful dribbles per 90 is the fourth best of all Saints players and given his 6'3" frame, Broja does - as cliched as it sounds - boast good feet for a big man.
Clearly there is more to Broja's game than just scoring goals and it means that he can receive the ball under pressure and beat a man to limit opponents' chances of pressuring the Saints goal, all the while opening up a gap to exploit and go for goal himself. Additionally, Broja's continued development may well save Chelsea a fortune in the future.
If there is an opportunity to sign Haaland in the coming months, then any number of Europe's big hitters are set to take the plunge. Chelsea were heavily linked with the Norwegian over the summer before spending £98m to bring Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge, but if available, then Haaland would top any side's wishlist.
Yet with Broja's continued development, and good form in the final third for Saints, Chelsea may resist the temptation to go all out for Haaland and instead place their faith in another academy product. At the very least, Broja's rising value means the Blues have a more sellable asset on their hands, yet given the success of the likes of Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mason Mount, the frontman will hope for a chance in the Chelsea first team, particuarly when considering Timo Werner's sub-par form and Romelu Lukaku's goal struggles following his return to west London.
Having caught Tuchel's eye in pre-season, Broja will likely be handed a chance in a Chelsea shirt before too long and with the Albanian really starting to find his feet at St. Mary's, the promising young forward could soon be a household name at Stamford Bridge.
