Pochettino drops HUGE Chelsea transfer hint with Harry Kane comment

Cameron Smith

• 26 Jan 2024 07:53 GMT
• 4 min read

Mauricio Pochettino has compared Chelsea striker Armando Broja to England superstar Harry Kane despite the fact he continues to be linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge.

Broja, 22, is wanted by West Ham United and Wolves, and reports have suggested that Chelsea see him as a sellable asset this month.

The Blues are hoping to sign Victor Osimhen during the upcoming summer transfer window, while Callum Wilson is a target in January, and selling Broja is viewed as the perfect way to raise funds given he will count as ‘pure profit’ as a Cobham academy graduate.

A possible €35m move to Wolves has stalled due to their FFP concerns, as per The Daily Mail, and Pochettino’s latest comments suggest he doesn’t want Chelsea to sell Broja on a permanent deal.

What has Mauricio Pochettino said about Armando Broja?

Ahead of the Blues’ FA Cup fourth round tie against Aston Villa on Friday night, Pochettino spoke about Broja to the media.

“All the biggest strikers needed time when they were young,” he began.

“They need to find their own balance. But I still believe that he {Broja] has the potential to be an amazing striker.

“The process takes time. I always compare it to Harry Kane. He went on loan to Leyton Orient, Norwich and spent time finding his real balance. In our first six months, he started to perform only in December and January, and that’s when we started to see his real potential.

“He’s a player that suffered a big injury last season, he needs to put that big idea behind him, always that is difficult. And we are at Chelsea, he is trying to deliver while compared with the biggest strikers like [Didier] Drogba, [Jimmy Floyd] Hasselbaink or others. That’s always difficult for a young guy.

Finding a reliable goal-scorer has been a problem at Stamford Bridge for many years, with several big names failing to live up to expectations. However, Pochettino believes the pressure of succeeding in west London is natural and something that Broja will need to understand.

“It is part of the business, part of football. If you want to be at Chelsea… When you perform well and score goals, you are there; if you’re not scoring, you are there. If you play, you are there. But if you’re not playing, you’re there.

“In the end, you can’t escape. If we want all the benefits of being in this football club, Chelsea, we need to accept that it is a massive responsibility, and this can happen. You are always going to be judged. It is normal. It is our job,” Pochettino continued.

“If you want to be in this business and play football, take the responsibility to play, you need to accept that this is the business. If you’re a coach, staff member, or player and can’t deal or cope with the pressure, it is difficult to be at the top. You can play football, but maybe not at this level.”