Chelsea academy star ‘close to earning a starting spot’ after catching Potter’s eye
New Chelsea boss Graham Potter has been impressed by academy graduate Armando Broja and is thinking about giving him more starts, according to reports.
Potter has had just over a week to work with his new team after leaving Brighton to replace Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge earlier this month.
Chelsea could only draw 1-1 with RB Salzburg – who are currently top of the Austrian Bundesliga with seven wins from eight matches – at home in the Champions League in Potter’s first match in charge on Wednesday.
Potter started the match against Salzburg with summer signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang starting up front with Kai Havertz playing behind him but it was winger Raheem Sterling who grabbed the goal.
Broja, who spent last season on loan at fellow Premier League side Southampton, came off the bench in the second half for Aubameyang and The Sun claims the Albania international ‘is catching Chelsea boss Graham Potter’s eye and he is close to earning a starting spot’.
The 21-year-old has ‘made a big impression in training’ and Chelsea boss Potter ‘may put him in the starting XI soon’ despite the presence of Aubameyang.
‘Insiders’ have told The Sun that Potter ‘is raving about Broja’s potential and ability to fit into his system’ as he looks to ‘implement a pressing’ style of play.
There has been a lot of fuss over the past week about Chelsea owner Todd Boehly’s idea that Premier League players could play a north vs south All-Star game each season.
It has been suggested that the game could raise as much as 200million US Dollars (£174million) for the English footballing pyramid but there are concerns where the match could fit into a already hectic schedule.
When asked who would start in goal in the south’s line-up in the mooted All-Star clash, Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa jokingly replied: “Me of course!
“It would be a big game, there’s a lot of big players in this league, both in the north and the south.
“We will see, it’s a different idea, but I don’t know at what point we could play this game. So we will see, I don’t know.
“I heard something about it but I didn’t watch Todd saying that.
“It’s a completely different idea, so you never know. We’d have to know a little bit more about it.”
