(Football news) Chelsea and Albanian striker Armando Broja is expected to be out for the season after he requires surgery to fix a ruptured cruciate ligament in his right knee. The Chelsea striker will begin his rehabilitation programme after suffering a serious injury in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Aston Villa in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. The 21-year-old was left in pain in the 22nd minute of the match after getting his boot stuck in the turf and twisted his knee while closing down defender Ezri Konsa.
An anterior cruciate ligament injury will mean that the Albania international will be out with a minimum of five months on the sidelines but if the ACL is bad then he could be out for 12 months in the worst-case scenario. It would leave him struggling to play any further part this season as Graham Potter attempts to revive Chelsea’s poor form after the World Cup break. They are currently on a run of four defeats in their last five matches. Broja’s injury could tempt the Blues to buy a striker in the transfer market in January, with RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku’s move to Stamford Bridge already said to have been formalised next summer.
They may need a temporary option to fill the gap with Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix possibly available on a loan deal with an option to buy and former target Cristiano Ronaldo available as a free agent. It will be interesting to see how the new recruitment board under new director Christopher Vivell and recruitment head Joe Shields handle this unwanted situation. It won’t be a surprise if they go after the likes of Cody Gakpo even though he is favourite to sign for Manchester United. Graham Potter will have to cope with Aubameyang as their sole striker in the team.
“It’s been difficult to process everything over the past few days, but I am determined to come back even stronger and better than before. Everyone has there (sic) own journey to the top, this is just a minor setback for the good things to come in the future. Thank you to everyone who has sent messages of support. It means a lot. I appreciate them all. I will be back soon.” – Armando Broja
