Thomas Tuchel keen to keep 20-year-old attacker at Chelsea

Thomas Tuchel remains insistent that Chelsea retain Armando Broja

According to popular Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel remains insistent on keeping talented Albanian striker Armando Broja, even rejecting West Ham’s £30m proposal for him a few days ago.

Broja is one of the most talented strikers to come through the ranks at Chelsea in recent times. His future at Stamford Bridge has been far from certain but one person who is very keen on keeping him and using him next season is our coach, Tuchel.

The German tactician sees Broja as an important part of his plans for next season and is not entertained by the idea of selling him permanently. If anything, a loan move might be the only thing Tuchel agrees to hinting that he envisions a future for him here.

Broja spent last season out on loan at Southampton and really impressed in Ralph Hassenhautl’s side last season. The Saints would have wanted to keep him if they had that option and it is fair to say that the Albanian left a lasting impression during his time there.

The 20-year-old striker played 38 times for the Saints last season scoring nine goals and providing one assist across all competitions. Broja seemed to taper off towards the end of last season but still managed to show enough quality to impress PL clubs.

There could be a reason why Thomas Tuchel envisions a future for Armando Broja in the coming season. Chelsea shipped out Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan on loan and have since then failed to sign another striker as a replacement.

Timo Werner is a striker but he is a different kind of player to Lukaku and the German star’s future at Stamford Bridge is far from certain with many clubs linked with the former Leipzig man.

Broja could be the closest player Thomas Tuchel has to replace Lukaku in the team. The Albanian starlet is a natural striker and as we have seen him in the recent past, he knows how to put the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis.

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There is still time left before the transfer window ends and things could change. As things stand, Broja seems closer to staying at Stamford Bridge and it remains to be seen how this pans out.