I've followed Armando Broja's career since he was 17 - here's why he is the 'real deal'

Everton fans are looking forward to seeing the prospect of Armando Broja in action.

The striker joined the Toffees on loan from Chelsea on summer transfer deadline day. But as he arrived with an Achilles injury, Broja has still to make his Everton debut.

Sean Dyche and his staff have been cautious with the Albania international but he’s stepped things up at the club’s Finch Farm training base during the international break and will be ready for duty sooner rather than later. That will be welcome news given that Everton sit 16th in the Premier League and have scored only 10 goals so far.

Ahead of Broja being available, we got the lowdown from Albanian football expert Redian Ara - who runs the popular X account @ALBfootball - having followed the 23-year-old throughout his career.

First of all, how long have you tracked Armando Broja’s career?

I would say at least five-plus years - ever since he played for Albania under-17s and Chelsea under-18s. I was hearing some rumours about a guy who was 2m tall, strong, quick, and had incredible ball-striking and dribbling and I had to watch it with my own eyes. I could instantly tell that this guy was the real deal. I’ve been following him for a while and haven’t missed a minute because I always enjoy watching him play.

What was Broja like in Chelsea’s academy?

It is one of the best academies in the world. They consistently produce some of the best players and he was part of what could be called a Golden Generation. He was playing with Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi and a lot of players who we see in the Premier League and other European leagues. He still managed to stand out and was one of the main players. I wrote to him on Instagram that he scores every game and if not, he’d get three assists because that’s what he did all of the time.

I was in awe of the performances he consistently produced. He was highly rated by the staff and that’s why they wanted to keep him.

Broja made his debut for Chelsea before having loans at Vitesse and Southampton. What did you make of him during those spells?

It’s funny because his debut was against Everton. I think he dribbled past Mason Holgate, who then got a yellow card for a foul, and instantly showed his personality and he wanted to show it. He went to Vitesse in a two-pronged attack with Lois Openda, who is now at RB Leipzig, and they had a very good partnership. Broja scored 10 goals, including a header in the semi-finals of the Dutch Cup and then moved to Southampton,

The Premier League is a different ball game but he still managed perform at a high level consistently. He didn’t really play much in the first two months but then came to Albania on international duty and scored a couple of goals. Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl decided to give him a chance, he scored a couple of goals against Leeds then West Ham and Brentford. His overall play was incredible and he’s a monster when he’s really at it. They were two very productive loan spells and Chelsea decided to keep him because he was ready for the next step.

Everton were interested in signing Broja in the summer of 2022. He stayed at Chelsea but had a couple of difficult years, including a loan at Fulham What happened?

Broja got a new contract at Chelsea and everything was ready for him. The problem was he didn’t get too many opportunities. There was a chance in the winter when he could prove his worth during the break for the World Cup that took place in Qatar and that’s why he did everything he did - and ultimately ended up getting injured. In a friendly against Aston Villa, he pressed Ezri Konsa so relentlessly and injured his ACL.

Broja ended up being out for a year and Chelsea decided they wanted to sell him but no-one was bidding the fee they wanted. Instead, he moved to Fulham on loan but, quite frankly, it was a disaster. Fulham were not interested in getting a new starting striker. They had Raul Jimenez, who was injured, and Rodrigo Muniz - who started scoring goals as soon as Broja joined. Fulham preferred to prioritise Muniz rather than a loan player. Broja didn’t really get a chance to flourish and his confidence was low.

Broja’s move to Everton was at the 11th hour. Why was that?

It was a hectic transfer window. I’m pretty sure they had a meeting before Chelsea hired Enzo Maresca and they wanted to sell him. But then Maresca came in and Broja is a big Chelsea fan so he wanted to play for the club and do everything to convince the new head coach.

He wanted to go on the pre-season tour to the USA to try to prove his worth. He then suffered a bit of an injury and a deal to Ipswich collapsed. Everton were then ready and came in at the last second to secure his service.

So what will Broja bring to Everton?

His most obvious qualities are his pace, power and physical attributes. He is tall, fast, strong and can do everything in that regard. He’s not a target man, he loves dribbling - it might be his best attribute. When he gets going, it’s very hard to stop him and his shooting is very good. He scored a goal for Albania against Hungary from a very tight angle. For me, he is the complete package for a striker but has to prove it with consistency.

Everton often play with a lone striker. Is that something Broja could do?

Some of his weaknesses might be when his back is to goal and positioning around the box. He hasn’t scored that many goals in his career despite having the finishing quality. His movement is something that has to improve.

But I have watched Everton this season and on the counter-attack, he will help immensely. He’s also very good at creating stuff out of nothing on his own. If tou send him a long ball, he can dribble past two or three players then pick a pass or get a shot away. But if Everton are playing a target man, he’d be best with Dominic Calvert-Lewin.