An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in Armando Broja in the summer transfer window...
What's the talk?
Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has claimed that the club are eyeing a deal for the English-born Albanian, alongside one of his teammates.
However, they will not be able to make a move for the former Southampton loanee until they bring a replacement through the door, which means that they are waiting on a potential swoop.
Downie said: "Newcastle are keen on Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, but The Blues unlikely to entertain anything until they bring in another midfielder of their own. Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong still Chelsea’s main midfield target. Similar situation with NUFC’s interest in Armando Broja."
It's thought the London-based side currently values him at a whopping £50m and will not budge from that price tag.
Chris Wood upgrade
The Magpies could land a big upgrade on Wood by snapping up a deal to sign Broja, if Chelsea are able to bring in a replacement before the end of the window.
Eddie Howe noted the New Zealand international's "physicality" and his attacking threat as the reasons behind the signing as he looked to improve his attack back in January.
However, it has not gone exactly to plan for the former Burnley man as he has struggled to hit his best form. The 30-year-old has scored two goals in 19 Premier League matches for the Magpies to date - one of which came from the penalty spot.
Broja, meanwhile, scored nine goals for Southampton on loan last term - with six of those strikes coming in open play. The £7k-per-week gem has been dubbed "clinical" and "dangerous" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, with his goal tally suggesting that he could offer more than Wood in front of goal in the top-flight.
This is backed up by the underlying statistics. Over the last 365 days, for instance, Broja ranks in a higher percentile than Wood in non-penalty expected goals and shot-creating actions per 90.
This means that the Albanian is putting himself in better positions to take shots from and is more adept at opening up opportunities for teammates to shoot from, with the former translating into him scoring more top-flight goals than the Toon striker throughout 2021/22.
Ex-Premier League defender Micah Richards hailed the youngster's work off the ball last season, saying: “Broja, I know we’ve mentioned him before, but he’s bullying not only Maguire but he’s bullying Varane as well, which I couldn’t quite understand for someone so young.”
This suggests that he has the strength to push defenders around in the top-flight, which means that he could well be similar to Wood in terms of physicality at the top end of the pitch.
Howe reportedly placed an emphasis on Newcastle becoming a pressing team last season and the Chelsea man averaged 2.19 more pressures per 90 than Wood, which suggests that he could improve the team's work-rate off the ball at the top end of the pitch. Furthermore, Broja has averaged more tackles, and blocks per 90 minutes than the Magpies flop in the last 365 days.
Therefore, due to his well-rounded game and goalscoring potential, Broja could be an upgrade on the former Clarets number nine and that is why it may be worth waiting to see if he becomes available later in the window.