Hammers fans can cast their minds back a couple of seasons and the rumour machine was rife that DM had made Armando Broja one of our Prime Targets: The Homegrown Albanian Chelsea-owned striker had just finished a very successful loan spell at Southampton banging in 6 goals in 32. The year before he’d been out on loan to Dutch club Vitesse and had scored 10 times in 30.
A proven record of goals for a then 21 year old. Understandably there was interest in bringing him to London Stadium – West Ham have been linked with just about every Premier League level striker- and the ‘will they sell – won’t they sell’ see-saw carried on throughout the summer window with some West Ham fans, me included, genuinely thinking we had a chance of signing him.
Chelsea flirted but of course kept him and left us disappointed, signing a new six year contract with the young striker in September ’22. Curses. ‘Hammers foiled again in search for striker’.
He then sustained a huge knee injury in a friendly during the international break for the World Cup and was ruled out for the whole of the rest of ’22-3 season: After starting 23-4 with Chelsea, he was loaned out to Fulham and made 8 total appearances and failed to score. A pretty disappointing career so far.
At times the figures in 2022 quoted for him were some £35 or even £40 million plus being thrown around during David Moyes’ initial pursuit if I remember correctly.
Recent news regarding the Albanian seem to confirm he will be gone from Chelsea this Window, having become a bit of a ‘spare part’: Chelsea News suggest Juventus are willing to try and acquire his skills in a ’22-36 million’ euro deal. Which strikes me as a bit of a bargain for someone who is just 23 years old with a huge ambition to restart his career.
If his knee injury is behind him now (it is more than a year on so he’s as good as he will ever be) then he would seem a great value, proven Premier League player who’d work well with a Head Coach willing to nurture. With something to prove.
Compared with the £40 million (plus!) now being sought for Jhon Duran who is a twenty year old ‘raw talent with attitude’, it strikes me that there are options available in the ‘bargain basement’ which could ignite West Ham’s attacking potential without breaking the bank. If Juventus manage to grab him for under 30 million Euros (£26 million) then – they have a steal.
We have bought some shockingly bad strikers and this bloke would be right up there with any of them. Awful injury, awful scoring record, one 5 month period where he was ok (start of the loan at saints) and just generally a really bad signing for us and exactly the type of player we should avoid
You have to be kidding, he is not a bargain for anyone, he is another Huggill for £5m he is a good option off the bench, he is often injured, doesn’t score many goals although his hold up play isn’t terrible. Chelski have paid over the odds for all of their players and are now desperate to unload anyone that can start to claw them anything back financially. My guess is he, Chalobah and others will be loaned out because they can’t sell them. We should have loaned Zouma from them, lets not make the same mistake twice.
I would question the “proven PL player”” part!
66 games and 9 goal involvements is 1 in 7. That’s not even an improvement on Antonio, who has a one in 2.5 record. £2.50 and a packet of crisps, more like. And our history with knee injuries bought from Chelsea!?!?! I wouldn’t want us paying more than 10m upfront and any extra on results only, not appearances. Lol
To be fair, if Harry Kane had played for the Southampton team of the time. he wouldn’t have scored many either
I would question the “proven PL player”” part!
66 games and 9 goal involvements is 1 in 7. That’s not even an improvement on Antonio, who has a one in 2.5 record. £2.50 and a packet of crisps, more like. And our history with knee injuries bought from Chelsea!?!?! I wouldn’t want us paying more than 10m upfront and any extra on results only, not appearances. Lol
Loan with an option I’d not be opposed to. Even if we sign Duran, both Antonio and Ings will be off in a year’s time tops. So we will need more than one centre forward long term.
Sign a striker who can’t score – sounds very much like a West Ham signing, smells of Sullivan. We needed about seven decent players in this window as a decimated squad has been decimated further, but so far we only have Kilman as a contender to start. Not looking good at the mo’ things need to start happening, and fast !!
Steer clear
I’m absolutely sick of the number of player we are supposed to be after . We do need a striker or two but not the old hasbeens or injury prone Sullivan get your wallet out and buy us some fit young strikers this great club and supporters deserve .
Full circle bsck to broja..who’s crap …..last gasp panic buy because they refuse to pay going rate for top striker..always the same
He has been underwhelming whether through injury or form, so if Chelsea don’t want him, why do we? As for Juventus, well they seem to be in for everyone, not bad for a club that’s skint.
1 goal every 6 games when he was fit is pathetic at Southampton. Since then he has had an ACL injury and been diabolical upon his return to football.
This is a striker nobody in their right mind would sign!
With the good start we had i thought we’d be all done and dusted by now and have all 6-7-8 new players on board. but it seems like we’re going down the Moyes route again.
Lets face Moyes has left us in the shit. but it seems like the same old way we go after 20 if not more players at a time and end up with ”FUCK-ALL” you don’t hear of the ”TOP-6-TEAMS” doing the same. the way it looks to me is, they pick the target go for him and when they’ve got the guy move on to the next target.
Not like us go after the player for say 30 million then offer them 20 million them go back and fourth battling to get to a figure the both like. and spend six weeks doing it. i don’t know i cant get my head around it guys ”OR-AM-I-WRONG” ???
You’re pretty much spot on.
As a club, we will never be taken seriously until we get rid of DS and Co and get some serious investors who leave the running of the Club to the “Management team.
Our current performance in the transfer market bears all the marks of Sullivan and Co, who I wouldn’t send out to buy a newspaper.
His form has been terrible since the injury and he might be mentally broken as a result . Even throwing 15 million is a waste just like Ings .
He’s only worth £15-£20mil max.
Especially as his games to goals ratio is iffy.
We do need proven ability.
I’d wait for a few more weeks as clubs will be getting antsy to sell (I think that’s our ploy) We do need the other pieces in, soon though.
Totally baffled why anyone would consider this guy a quality striker in the company of Kudus, Bowen and Paqueta. We already gave two journeymen strikers – enough already!! Please, no more on-the-job trainees.
You describe his loan period of 6 goals in 32 games as successful? What is that, one goal every five and a half games or something? I don’t know enough for an opinion to be honest. Maybe he was coming on as a sub or something? in which case it’s probably not a record as it looks on paper.
He was a starter at Southampton not a sub. He’s not good enough
For that price for a PL striker at his age, well worth a gamble!! Looked very good at YT level and on loan.
I think he could be the new Mitrovic
We should be buying proven strikers. It’s been so long since we had a successful one. Can’t afford ‘gambles’ this season
It’s a NO from me!
For £20m name a better prospect WH could realistically sign?
Don’t rate Broja at all. No thanks
No