Southampton 'will try' to bring 'dangerous' £34m star to St Mary's | OneFootball

Southampton ‘need to recruit’ this summer as losing star striker Armando Broja ‘could be potentially huge’, according to Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor.

The 20-year-old enjoyed a relatively successful season-long loan spell at St. Mary’s but has now returned to parent club Chelsea, and it remains to be seen where he will be plying his trade next term.

According to GOAL, Southampton are one of several sides interested in signing Broja permanently from Stamford Bridge after he bid farewell to the club on Instagram.

The report states that fellow Premier Legaue outfits Newcastle United and West Ham are eager to snap up the Albania international, while Serie A heavyweights AC Milan, Inter and Napoli are also listed as potential suitors.

However, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has recently stated that it is ‘too early’ to know the fate of the youngsters returning to the club from their loan spells, suggesting he will reassess their futures in pre-season.

“It is too early to predict the future for them given the role of the whole season, but they will be back for pre-season, that’s for sure,” explained the German tactician.

What has Taylor said about Southampton?

Taylor believes losing Broja permanently would be a big blow to the Saints and that they will have to ‘move quickly’ if they are to fend off the competition for his signature.

He told GiveMeSport: “I think Southampton need to recruit, and I do think losing Broja could be potentially huge, especially if he doesn’t make that move permanent.

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“I think Southampton will probably try, but I think he’ll either stay with Chelsea or go somewhere like a West Ham, Everton or Newcastle, and I know Napoli are actually interested as well.

“So, we’ll have to see, but I think Southampton need to probably move quickly.”

How big a loss would Broja be?

Broja, who is valued at £34m by the CIES Football Observatory, was Southampton second-highest scorer in all competitions this season, behind only James Ward-Prowse.

The 6 foot 3 ace registered nine goals and one assist in 38 appearances for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s charges, leading to the Austrian tactician dubbing him “dangerous”.

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And Broja’s underlying numbers indicate he made a telling contribution to Southampton’s overall game play as well.

He won 2.8 aerial duels and completed one successful dribble per Premier League game throughout 2021/22, placing him in the top four for both metrics when compared to his teammates, as per WhoScored.

Therefore, Broja’s presence could be sorely missed on the south coast, and Hasenhuttl will surely be desperate to bring him back to the club.