Dominic Solanke knew a different Chelsea to Armando Broja. When Solanke made his solitary appearance for the club as a late substitute in a routine win over Maribor in the Champions League in 2014, it was not seen as the start of a youth revolution. José Mourinho was the manager, Diego Costa led the attack and a team that would go on to win the Premier League title was full of hardened, experienced players.
It made breaking through difficult. Roman Abramovich was building one of the finest academies in the world but Solanke did not stay. Frustrated by a lack of opportunities, the striker turned down the offer of a new deal and was 19 when he left for Liverpool in 2017, 18 months before Chelsea were hit with a transfer ban that would make it much easier for Frank Lampard to lean on the Cobham production line and bring Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori and Reece James into the first team.
Since then, of course, there has been even more change. Although five academy players were involved when Chelsea won the Champions League three years ago, the dynamic has shifted since Abramovich sold the club to Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in 2022. When it comes to Broja’s future, pathways are not the only consideration. The 22-year-old’s story, while similar to Solanke’s, is more complicated and has been influenced by financial fair play realities. It is not as simple as Chelsea, who loaned Broja to Fulham last week, once again failing to find room for a promising young forward.
Broja, who will face Solanke when Fulham host Bournemouth on Saturday, has had opportunities. Whether he has taken them is up for debate. Three goals in 38 appearances since his debut in 2020 suggests not, although it should be pointed out that he has had two loan spells during that time and sustained a serious knee injury in December 2022. Perhaps it is not a surprise that the youngster has struggled for confidence and consistency this season. He has not had any stability since regaining fitness.
The riposte may be that Chelsea have been geared towards youth since the Boehly-Clearlake takeover; that if a player isn’t performing in this environment then perhaps it’s because they simply aren’t up to it. Surely it must be Broja’s fault that he failed to step up while Christopher Nkunku was injured and Nicolas Jackson was at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Equally it is worth trying to understand why Broja has looked so rigid and downcast. It surely cannot help that a narrative has built around Chelsea regarding the sale of homegrown talents as a way of boosting their FFP position. It must be weird to be at the centre of it. After all, it was not long after Mauricio Pochettino described Broja as one of the best young strikers in Europe at the start of January that stories appeared about the club looking to sell him.
Was a replacement necessary? No. But there was also talk of Chelsea wanting £50m, a demand that soon dropped to £35m before a deal was agreed on deadline day for Broja to join Fulham until the end of the season. There was no obligation or option to buy and hopes for a £5m loan fee had morphed into Fulham potentially paying nothing if Broja starts enough games for them.
Perhaps it will work out. Chelsea will hope that Broja does well enough to lift his value before the summer, when he is due to represent Albania at Euro 2024. Fulham will hope they have a goalscorer. Broja will hope to find some clarity at Craven Cottage.
There is no doubt he is a handful when he is feeling good. He is quick and powerful. He is rough around the edges but he needs time to build his rhythm. This move could work for him. Sometimes it helps to take a step down. There is no better example than Solanke. The England international flopped at Liverpool and he took a while to find his feet after joining Bournemouth for £17m in January 2019. A lot of people were queueing up to write him off after Bournemouth’s relegation in 2020.
But hard work pays off. When Solanke’s goals helped Bournemouth win promotion in 2022, there was a sense that he would still not be good enough for the Premier League. Respect for the way that he occupied defenders was offset by concerns over a lack of edge in the area. Finishing last season with seven goals seemed to back up the naysayers.
With Andoni Iraola in charge, though, Bournemouth are finally seeing Solanke realise his potential. He has 15 goals this season, has developed into one of the best strikers in the league, is coveted by some big clubs and has a chance of making England’s squad for the Euros.
It is a lesson for Broja. His ego may be bruised. The future may look uncertain. But if he looks at Solanke’s path he will see that there is a big world outside Chelsea.
