Chelsea loanee Armando Broja has been ranked as one of Europe's best performing under-21 outfield talents from this season by the International Centre for Sports Studies. CIES, who factored performance compared to teammates, the pedigree of opposition and game time into their findings, rated the striker ahead of Gabriel Martinelli, Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala.
Bukayo Saka beat Broja to the top spot and was crowned as the leading youngster this season from across 32 European leagues. The Cobham graduate's feature among some of the world's most sought after stars hands prospective Chelsea owners an easy decision to make ahead of the summer.
Under Roman Abramovich's ownership, the west London side outlined a price tag amid growing interest in Broja's services, according to Tuttomercatoweb. Reports claimed that any suitor would have to spend more than £50m to convince the Blues to cash in.
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Though Chelsea are believed to want to take a closer look at Broja over the summer before deciding on the next phase of his career, the new owners must make it a priority to pave an irrefutable pathway for the striker into Thomas Tuchel's first team. Didier Drogba guided the west London side into a new era, and the Albania international could do so too amid a seemingly imminent takeover.
Broja has scored six goals in 17 Premier League starts this season, and he's quickly warranting his place among some of the world's leading prospects. The 20-year-old's dazzling displays should leave Chelsea's new owners in no doubt as to whether or not he can lead Tuchel's frontline.
He earned his stripes at Cobham during the Ivorian striker's rein. He has impressed on loan under Ralph Hasenhuttl this season and has grown into an integral contributor to the Saints' success. Broja has impressed so much that the Southampton boss has already begun his mission to sign the striker permanently.
However, in February, football.london understood that Arsenal were monitoring the situation, with the Saints and West Ham linked too. Nevertheless, Hasenhuttl warned the Cobham graduate that the grass isn't always greener amid what is, so far, a fruitful loan spell that has caught the eye.
"He knows how important it is for him as a player to play continuously," Hasenhuttl said. "Here, he gets that chance and has shown he fits us and our shape.
"There are a lot of examples where players after changing clubs do not perform as they have done with us. We have a good relationship with Chelsea and are in good contact. He is their player. We have tried to develop him here, and I think we have."
So, with Timo Werner's and Romelu Lukaku's misfortunes in mind, Broja continues to emerge as the obvious option to lead Chelsea's line next season.
