Albanian forward Armando Broja has officially joined Southampton from Chelsea on a loan deal for the entirety of the 2021/22 season.
Southampton have made an official statement to confirm that they have secured the services of Armando Broja. The 19-year-old Albanian forward has left Chelsea to make his way to St. Mary’s for the entirety of the 2021/22 season, becoming the second player to leave Chelsea for the Saints.
Armando Broja joined the Chelsea youth setup from Tottenham Hotspur in 2009, having spent a couple of years in Spurs’ academy. The teenage prodigy subsequently progressed through the ranks rapidly before breaking into the first-team setup last year, making his professional debut for the senior side in March 2020.
However, as has been the norm more often than not at Chelsea for some time now, Broja became a part of the infamous loan army last term, joining Vitesse Arnhem for the 2020/21 season, raking in a decent tally of 11 goals and three assists in 34 appearances for the Dutch outfit. Upon returning to Chelsea, though, it soon became clear that another loan move could be on the horizon for Broja.
Recent reports suggested that Southampton were the favourites to sign the 19-year-old, which has indeed proven to be the case, with the Saints securing his services on a season-long loan deal. And after completing the move from Chelsea, the Albanian forward expressed his delight.
Welcome to #SaintsFC, @armandobroja9! ✍️ pic.twitter.com/H0qw0Q4ZPj
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) August 10, 2021
“I feel very happy. I was really excited to join Southampton. It’s obviously a very good Premier League club. They’ve got a good history and they play in the best league in the world, so it’s amazing for a young player to experience it, be in and around a Premier League team, and learn and develop from the older players, the staff and everyone here. It’s a very good opportunity.”
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl also appeared to be delighted following the completion of the move, saying, “Armando is a very talented player who we were impressed by last season. He is young, but he comes now with a full season of experience in senior football with a good team, and he brings a lot of qualities that can help us.”
Southampton have indeed been in need of signing a striker following the departure of Danny Ings, who has joined Aston Villa this summer. To that end, they have been linked with a number of options, including Broja, who has now completed the loan switch. With Michael Obafemi also on the exit trail, Southampton might want to sign another striker but for now, they have landed the 19-year-old from Chelsea.
