Many Premier league sides are looking to sign Chelsea’s Armando Broja, and the scary part is that the Blues may be considering it. With the Albanian currently out of the pre-season squad due to injury, it's a worry that he may not be included in next season's campaign.
Armando Broja is an up-and-coming Chelsea academy talent that had made his mark on loan to Premier League club Southampton. Unsurprisingly, he was classified as yet another Cobham talent that could make it in the Chelsea first-team if given a chance. It looks like the Albanian striker believes so too and is adamant about an opportunity to play in the first team. However, he is also not afraid to venture elsewhere if another club comes knocking.
Broja being a strong, dominant forward both on and off the ball sets him aside from Thomas Tuchel’s current selection of attackers. He is almost Didier Drogba-like in his play and, with the correct coaching, could become a menacing striker. Something the Blues have lacked since Diego Costa in 2017.
As pre-season commences, the Blues traditionally work with some of their homegrown talents in an attempt to integrate them with the squad. Before Frank Lampard's arrival, which saw a shift in the use of the youth, only Callum Hudson-Odoi had a recent success story. Currently, Ethan Ampadu, Havey Vale, Levi Colwill, and more have travelled with the Blues for a chance to impress on their pre-season tour. Armando Broja was last to return following issues with paperwork.
Nizaar Kinsella of the Evening Standard reports that Todd Boehly had planned to meet with Broja soon in light of West Ham and Everton links. It could be good news or bad news for Chelsea fans, as he would be a massive loss for the Blues. If Chelsea were to go the route they deployed last summer in selling incredible talents such as Marc Guehi and Tino Livramento to invest in record signing Romelu Lukaku, then Broja will not be the only player that could make their exit to fund a move.
Levi Colwill has racked up interest from Premier League clubs, including Leicester City, Southampton and Crystal Palace. Maatsen has also received interest from clubs outside of England. Chelsea could face losing both and possibly even Billy Gilmour in hopes of balancing the books.
The future of some of Chelsea's Cobham graduates is up in the air at the moment, but fortunately, they will be spending pre-season with the first team. Having full autonomy over his squad rebuild, Tuchel will surely be looking for those who fit his vision. However, if he makes the wrong call with some of Chelsea fan favourites, the terrace may not be so forgiving. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out, and last summer's transfer window exits should be a reason not just to disregard Cobham graduates.
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