Luis Enrique showers glowing praise on Chelsea youngster Armando Broja
In his post-match presser for the Spain vs Albania fixture as quoted by Daily Echo, Spanish manager Luis Enrique spoke highly of Chelsea rising star Armando Broja who is currently out on loan at Southampton.
Broja played for a majority of the game and was subbed off in the 84th minute. Edoardo Reja’s men were close to recording a draw against the former European and World Cup winners but a late goal from Dani Olmo ended this rosy dream a few moments before the final whistle was blown.
The 20-year-old has had an impressive campaign so far netting nine goals and providing one assist in 31 matches across all competitions for the Saints. His darting runs and ability to pick up pockets of spaces have been a constant worry for opposition defenders this season.
The Albanian has grown in leaps and bounds under the tutelage of Ralph Hasenhüttl who has also shown his interest in keeping the 20-year-old at Saint Mary’s Stadium past his current loan deal. This shouldn’t be surprising considering the kind of displays that he is putting on in the Premier League at the moment.
Speaking post the match against Albania (h/t Daily Echo), Enrique pointed out Broja’s exploits and how he can be a menace to some of the top defenders around the globe.
“If you look at him at Southampton he causes problems for the best central defenders in the world. We (Spain) are not invincible. There were difficulties they put us under. They were going to test us and I am happy with the attitude we showed. We have to correct things, which is natural, but nobody is going to win by walking in modern football.”
Broja making the rounds
The remarks from the former Barcelona manager should do him a world of good and we hope that he can continue growing on the same trajectory. The Albanian international could, if things go well, hopefully, become the torchbearer of the attacking setup at Stamford Bridge.
The 20-year-old has only been fielded for four minutes in the Chelsea senior team but his recent performances suggest that he could be ready to make the leap. Despite spending huge sums of money on forwards such as Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku, the duo has struggled to impress us on a consistent basis in a Blue jersey.
Their inability to get on the scoresheet regularly coupled with the rise of Broja in the Prem could be a tempting proposition. It would be interesting to see whether or not the club decides to bring him back to Stamford Bridge next campaign but Thomas Tuchel should at least be willing to give it a second thought in light of his displays.
That being said, we should also be wary of any potential interest from other clubs as we saw the club sell another exciting youngster in Tammy Abraham last season who is now having a prolific time in the Italian league. We certainly wouldn’t want a repeat of something like that considering our current options.
Armando Broja has proven that he can hold his own against some of the top clubs in the PL. While many could argue about his age, the upcoming season could be used as a way of integrating him into the first team by giving him opportunities to strut his stuff in domestic competitions.
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Luis Enrique has given his stamp of approval and that would certainly be music to our ears at this moment. We can only hope that he will take this in his stride and develop it into something greater to become a greater part of our senior squad one day.