When Armando Broja went down screaming in pain and clutching his knee after clashing with Ezri Konsa in Chelsea’s friendly game against Aston Villa, the club feared the worst for the young prodigy.
According to the Evening Standard, those fears have now been confirmed as the 21-year-old’s initial scare has turned out to be a season-ending injury.
Broja has been told that he will require surgery to fix a ruptured cruciate ligament injury in his right knee and will soon begin his rehabilitation programme.
The injury will leave the Albania international on the sidelines for a minimum of five months, but it could be a maximum of 12 in the worst-case scenario.
With the January transfer market fast approaching, Broja’s injury could force the Blues to include a striker in their shopping plans.
The club have already been linked with moves for Cristiano Ronaldo, but they have not made any official proposals to the five-time Balon d’Or winner.
Chelsea have also been linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund contract rebel Youssoufa Moukoko. But the Bundesliga giants are reportedly not interested in seeing the highly coveted talent leave in January.
Blow for Broja and Chelsea’s top-four hopes
Coupled with losing Broja in Abu Dhabi just 19 minutes into the game, Chelsea also lost the game, leaving little to be desired in terms of their readiness to resume competitive club football – although they were missing several first-team stars.
However, Broja’s unfortunate incident also puts the Blues’ top-four hopes in further jeopardy, with the club already struggling with form and results.
Kai Havertz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are Graham Potter’s first-choice striking options, but the duo have failed to properly impact games.
Aubameyang had a bright start to his Chelsea career, but his performances have been poor recently, while Havertz’s inconsistency is only matched by his knack for popping up with big goals for club and country.
Broja only started to stake his claim in the first team and showed Potter he has what it takes to give Aubameyang and Havertz a run for their money, but this injury now proves a major setback to the Albanian’s development.
Chelsea won just one of their last five games in all competitions before the international break, and results, just like goals, have been hard to come by, with the Blues only rippling the net in two of those five matches.
The Blues also have the worst-scoring tally of any team in the top ten with 17 goals, and much of their woes in front of goal can be attributed to a lack of ruthlessness, as well as the absence of a creative force in the team.
Currently eight on the Premier League standings, Chelsea are eight points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, and something has to give in the second half of the season if they have any intentions of securing a top-four finish.
Chelsea’s lack of goalscorers and creators is a problem the club must solve in the upcoming transfer window, especialBroja’sr Broja’s injury.
