Spain manager Luis Enrique has told Thomas Tuchel what Armando Broja could add to his squad if the decision is made to promote him to Chelsea's first-team at the end of the season.
Broja has impressed during his loan spell with Southampton during the current campaign, scoring nine goals in all competitions, leading to calls for him to be included in Chelsea's first-team squad for 2022/23. But it appears a decision on his future is yet to be made, with transfer rumours persisting with the likes of Arsenal and West Ham said to be interested.
This week saw the 20-year-old Albania international come up against Spain, where he faced Chelsea stars Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso. He came in for some high praise after full-time as Enrique spoke of his qualities.
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Talking in his post-match press conference, the former Barcelona treble-winner said: "Broja is very strong. If you look at him at Southampton he causes problems for the best central defenders in the world.
"We 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.”
Spain ultimately ran out winners in the clash at RCDE Stadium in Barcelona with goals from Ferran Torres and Daniel Olmo earning them a 2-1 win. Myrto Uzuni scored the visitor's only goal, with Broja playing 84 minutes of the clash.
When asked about the striker's future back in January, Tuchel insisted that it was not the time to make any decisions, saying: "He’s our player and he’s doing good, but at the same time it’s only half a season, so he needs to continue to improve and to make his statement at Southampton.
“We have a reason why they are our players, they have quality and mentality and now they are out there on their own in different environments and clubs and proving themselves. Armando’s getting better and better, he’s a very unique player with unique strengths in his game - he has speed, he’s robust and he’s a goalscorer."
