Mauricio Pochettino's appointment during the off-season ensures the Chelsea head coach has a chance to run the rule over his players – of which there are many – before the Premier League season kicks off in early August.
It is set to be another busy window at Stamford Bridge, with numerous players linked with moves away and others being touted as possible replacements or indeed upgrades.
While it is true Chelsea are in need of a prolific goalscorer, the club cannot continue to throw large sums of money around in the hope of landing the perfect fit.
With Christopher Nkunku set to officially arrive from RB Leipzig this month in a deal worth over £50m, it looks increasingly likely that the Blues will splash out a further £30m to sign Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal.
But the Blues may already have a new signing of sorts in their ranks ready to step up and play alongside Nkunku when needed.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Pochettino is ready to give Armando Broja a chance to shine during pre-season, amid previous suggestions the striker could be used in part-exchange to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton and Hove Albion.
Is Armando Broja good enough for Chelsea?
Broja has spent 14 years on Chelsea's books, but with his 22nd birthday fast approaching, he has made just 13 Premier League appearances for the Blues.
After catching the eye on loan with Southampton in 2021-22 courtesy of a nine goal haul, Broja was finally given a run in the Chelsea side last season, only to sustain a knee injury during the winter break that curtailed his season after just 12 league games.
On the basis of those appearances, though, Broja showed he deserves another shot. He scored at a rate of 0.30 goals per 90 minutes, as per FBref, which was bettered last season by only Joao Felix (0.38) among Chelsea players.
Rather tellingly, though, Broja's figure of 0.30 came from an expected goals (xG) value of 0.24, compared to 0.47 for Joao Felix, suggesting he converted more times than expected based on the quality of his chances, whereas the opposite was true for the latter.
That is further reflected in the shots on target metric, with Broja – on as little as £40k-a-week, according to Capology – doing so from 83.3% of his attempts. The next-best Chelsea player in that regard was Noni Madueke with 50%.
When you also factor in the Albania international's team-high 0.61 goal-creating actions per 90 minutes, which considers passes, take-ons and fouls directly prior to a goal, plus his 2.73 aerial duels won per 90 – only two others fared better – it is hard to argue against Pochettino not using Broja.
As Albanian coach Sergio Porrini said last season: "With the necessary comparisons, he's somewhat reminiscent of [Rafael] Leao in how unstoppable he becomes if he stretches the ball into space On the other hand, he is less good with his back to goal, in the construction of the action, but in the spaces he is devastating."
That is not to say Jackson is not a great striker himself – 12 goals in 26 LaLiga appearances last season tells you all you need to know – but Chelsea may well have an answer to their problems already raring to go without the need to waste more money.
