What next for Armando Broja, Everton and Chelsea?

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There were several moments of Everton’s 1-0 win away to Nottingham Forest on Saturday when the promise of Armando Broja was clear.

On his first start since January, the on-loan Chelsea striker battled with centre-backs Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic, gave Everton an attacking platform, and linked well with team-mates.

Particularly in the first half, he regularly surged from deep, evading multiple challenges, and put his team on the front foot.

On days like these, it is easy to see why Broja was tipped as a potential star when breaking through at Stamford Bridge and why Fulham and Everton brought him in on temporary deals.

Put simply, there is a lot to like on paper. At just under 6ft 3in (191cm), he possesses the combination of physicality, speed and technique needed to make the grade at the top level.

Yet time is running out for the Albania international to make a lasting impact at Goodison. Saturday’s start was just his third in the Premier League season, and in total, he has played just 270 top-flight minutes. In that time, he is still to score or register an assist and has mostly been left to try to make an impression in short cameos.

Broja, once again, has been unlucky with injuries. A deadline day signing over the summer, he arrived with a foot injury that kept him out until December, with Everton only picking up his wages from the point at which he returned to competitive action.

The 23-year-old was substituted just over half an hour into the 1-0 away defeat at Bournemouth in January after kicking the turf in shooting at goal. In the next fixture, he was then carried off after sustaining ankle ligament damage in the FA Cup tie against League One Peterborough United.

Broja was injured in the cup win over Peterborough (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Everton, who had used both of their domestic loan spaces, looked into the prospect of sending Broja back to Chelsea in January, potentially in exchange for taking Carney Chukwuemeka, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall or Ben Chilwell. But with Chelsea resistant and the injury not as bad as feared, he stayed put.

He returned to action in March and made his first start under David Moyes, a January replacement for Sean Dyche, at the City Ground last weekend.

There is still a sense that Everton have not completely cut their losses with Broja. Given the interrupted nature of the season he has had, the £30million purchase option in the deal is unlikely to be activated.

With Everton effectively safe from relegation, Moyes is using the final months of the season to assess his squad. Positive performances in training saw Broja finally get his chance at Forest, while he impressed for Albania in their recent game against England at Wembley.

“I have to try to get a look at the players who we have,” Moyes said. “I’ve not had an opportunity to see Broja play and I felt this was the right opportunity to give them a chance.”

Broja has settled well on Merseyside in what has been a more positive environment since Moyes’ arrival. He is keen to prove a point and has been doing extra work away from training in a bid to show what he can do. At 23, there is a sense of looking to make up for lost time.

“I’m 100 per cent sure there’s way more to come from me,” he told Everton TV after the recent 1-1 draw with Arsenal. “There’s still the best to come from me. There’s so much more I can do.

“I feel much better now. I’m happy I can come back on the pitch and play pain-free. That’s all I wanted — to be pain-free, to enjoy my football, play in front of the fans and try to do the best for the team. There’s going to be moments where the goals are going to come, assists are going to come, and I’m going to play way better.”

It was notable on Saturday that he often skewed to the right in an attempt to find space. As the below match graphic shows, he linked particularly well with right-winger Jack Harrison, dropping deep to feed the winger in behind.

The nature of the game — tight and lacking in goalmouth action — meant most of his best work came in the channels and outside the box. It was a key building block for a player that has struggled for regular minutes, but will need to be built on with more goal involvements if he is to catch Moyes’ eye.

In that sense, what comes next is still up for grabs.

Everton are in a state of flux, with 15 players (including loanees like Broja) out of contract at the end of the season and wealthy new ownership, in the form of The Friedkin Group, having arrived in December.

A squad rebuild is on the cards, with the striking department one of several that could see upheaval. As well as Broja, long-term No 9 Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s deal expires, with talks due to take place over his future in the coming weeks. At least one new striker is likely to be high on their list.

Moyes will play a key role in the recruitment drive and rebuild, which could help Broja’s cause. He tried to sign the Slough-born striker on a permanent deal in the summer of 2022 when at West Ham United, only for Chelsea to hand Broja a new contract months later.

These are clearly positives for the player, but the final month and a half of the season effectively becomes an audition. For all his promise, it is now about convincing Everton or another club to place faith in him.

Broja has six games left to prove his worth at Everton (Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar Via Getty Images)

Broja’s value will be determined by whatever the market is willing to offer for him. From an Everton standpoint, the £30m purchase option contained in the loan looks unrealistic after an injury-hit season. Despite Broja’s lack of minutes, Chelsea sources, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, believe there will be significant interest because there is always demand for centre forwards and they will not sell on the cheap. Adding a sell-on clause is a possibility to increase revenue from any sale.

The intention is to sell on a permanent deal, but that was their stance last summer and they had to settle for a loan move to Everton, albeit their bargaining position was hindered by him picking up an Achilles injury during pre-season.

Clubs in Germany, France, Italy and Spain are showing an interest in Broja’s services and a move away from the Premier League is something the player is believed to be open to if Everton do not pursue a deal.

The sales pitch is likely to be that there is a bargain to be had, especially if the striker can get anywhere close to replacing fellow Chelsea academy graduate Callum Hudson-Odoi’s influence since moving to Nottingham Forest.

There is a feeling that Broja needs a good home and a solid pre-season if he is to put his injury problems behind him and kick on.

Before then, he has unfinished business at Goodison and another chance to prove to Moyes or other potential suitors that he is ready to take the next step.

(Top photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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