Fulham Sign Armando Broja From Chelsea On Half-season Loan

Fulham have been successful in their long pursuit of Chelsea’s Armando Broja after landing the striker on a half-season loan on Deadline Day.

The Cottagers have been interested in the 22-year-old for much of January but talks appeared to stall over Chelsea’s demand for a £5m loan fee, until a breakthrough was found in the final hours of the transfer window.

That amount has now been lowered to a maximum of £4m, dependent on performance and appearances for Fulham in the second half of the season.

Speaking to FFCtv, the Albania international said: “It feels amazing. I’m really happy to be here and I can’t wait to get started, meet the players and manager and play for the fans.

“The fans always play a big role and I can’t wait to go to Craven Cottage and meet them all. I’m going to work hard for the team and create a real bond.

“I’m really honoured and excited to be here.”

Broja’s solitary Premier League goal this season came at Craven Cottage in October, though he did enjoy a profitable loan spell at Southampton in 2021/22, when he scored six goals in 32 games.

Marco Silva’s need for a striker has been apparent in recent weeks. His side have scored just two goals in their last six Premier League games – both coming in a shock 2-1 win over Arsenal on December 31 – and failed to find the net again against Everton in midweek despite registering 25 shots.

Their need for more firepower became more urgent after Raul Jimenez was forced off in that game, with what Silva later revealed was a hamstring injury.

Fulham lost last season’s top goalscorer Aleksandar Mitrovic to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal in the summer – and have failed to replace his attacking threat, with Jimenez leading the way with only five so far.

“From last summer, even with Raul in our squad we sold [Mitrovic] for a big amount of money and were not able to replace him last summer,” Silva said on Thursday morning, ahead of Broja’s move. “Until now we have not been able to sign another one. That’s the reality.

“It’s not just because Raul got injured that it’s more important to sign one, it was important last summer and at the beginning of the window.”