Chelsea could lose Osimhen due to HUGE issue out of Pochettino's control

Cameron Smith

• 31 Mar 2024 17:27 BST
• 3 min read

When Chelsea loaned Armando Broja to Fulham during the January transfer window, they hoped he would rediscover his goal-scoring form and thus increase his value ahead of the summer.

The Albanian international is expected to depart Stamford Bridge on a permanent deal at the end of the 2023-24 season, and Chelsea have previously wanted a fee of roughly €50 million in order to offload him.

However, Broja’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) stands at €18.3m - the lowest since April 2022.

READ MORE: Should Chelsea sell Reece James amid exit rumours?

He was unable to make himself a regular at Chelsea during the opening six months of the campaign and he is now firmly second choice at Craven Cottage, with Rodrigo Muniz arguably the most in-form striker in Europe right now.

The Brazilian hadn’t scored a Premier League goal before Broja arrived on loan, but he has netted eight times in his last eight league matches, while Broja has only mustered 47 minutes of action for Fulham due to Muniz’s form.

READ MORE: Chelsea wanted Alonso as Pochettino replacement

Chelsea need Armando Broja to start scoring

Chelsea engineered a reverse loan fee structure with Broja’s move to Fulham, meaning they will be paid more the less he plays, but their ultimate goal was for him to play and score regularly in order to drive up his price tag ahead of the summer.

Instead, the opposite has happened and Broja’s value is now at its lowest since mid-2022. The Blues clearly want to sign Napoli superstar Victor Osimhen this summer to strengthen their attack, but a move for the Nigerian may not be possible unless Broja is able to find some form, displace Muniz and increase his value.

Chelsea may need to sell the Albanian in order to avoid breaching Financial Fair Play regulations and they will not extract Broja’s maximum value unless he is able to find a way to rediscover the form that saw him shine on loan at Southampton.