LONDON, England – Armando Broja, a striker for Chelsea, has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and will be out for the remainder of the season, the team has announced.

On Sunday, during a midseason friendly game in Abu Dhabi, 21-year-old Broja clashed with defender Ezri Konsa of Aston Villa.

The club reported that “scan findings have regrettably revealed an anterior cruciate ligament tear and that surgery will be required.”

During his rehabilitation, he will collaborate closely with the club’s medical staff

The international player for Albania expressed gratitude for all of the supportive messages and added on social media: “It’s been hard to comprehend everything over the past few days, but I am motivated to come back even stronger and better than before.”

Following a productive loan stint at Southampton last season, Broja has played 12 Premier League games for Chelsea this season, 10 of them as a substitute. He has also scored once.

The 27th of December will see Chelsea host Bournemouth after losing three straight games before the World Cup break.

They are 16 points behind Premier League leader Arsenal where they currently occupy ninth place.

Analysis – The Chelsea club’s long-running offensive issues were compounded by Armando Broja’s injury, which will be a devastating blow to a striker who has yet to really establish himself there.

As a result of last summer’s renewal of his six-year contract, the 21-year-old is well respected at Stamford Bridge.

However, he didn’t get his first Chelsea goal until October, and if he misses the remainder of the campaign, it’s possible that he will be passed over when he ultimately makes a comeback.

Strikers were already in short supply for Chelsea. Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang is currently their sole healthy out-and-out shooter because Romelu Lukaku is on loan at Inter Milan for the remainder of the season. That ought to prompt the team to make another move in the January transfer market.

Todd Boehly, the chairman and interim sporting director, has already expressed interest in Christian Nkunku of RB Leipzig, although any negotiations will most likely take place in the summer. Chelsea is currently in need of a stop-gap player, and Boehly might find Cristiano Ronaldo to be alluring.

It still remains to be seen if the management would likewise give in to temptation. Thomas Tuchel rejected a Ronaldo trade last summer. Graham Potter, will he feel the same way? Or, considering that wingers Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech, who were previously out of favor, have done well at the World Cup, would the Englishman believe he has adequate cover up top?

Armando Broja Quick Info

Armando Broja of Chelsea has appeared 12 times and clocked 286 minutes in the vast majority of the team’s Premier League games in 2022/2023. In two of these appearances among their 14 games, he was chosen for the starting lineup, while on the other 10, he was mostly a substitute. 

On November 12, Broja made his last competitive appearance for Chelsea against Newcastle United, playing 73 minutes in a 1-0 loss. The attacking player has scored one Premier League goal overall in 2022/2023. 

On October 8, he scored the first goal of the season in a 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

After being on loan at Southampton, where he made 32 league appearances and scored six goals, Broja returned to Chelsea in July 2022. 

On March 8, 2020, against Everton, Broja made his Premier League debut for Chelsea as a substitute. He was 18 years and 179 days old at the time. He has played 45 times in the Premier League so far in his career, scored seven goals, and hasn’t yet provided a teammate with an assist.