Arsenal are reportedly monitoring the Albanian striker on loan from Chelsea to the Saints

Armando Broja, 20, has been a revelation ever since his loan move to Southampton this season, where he has racked up the numbers and impressed plenty.

His performances on the pitch speak for themselves, and his numbers in his first ever Premier League are proof of that. While 6 goals in 20 Premier League appearances may not seem much, he’s earned high praise.

Chelsea have keenly kept an eye on the Albanian’s progress this season

The evidence for that is Southampton want the striker to stay at Saint Mary’s Stadium for at least another season, perhaps on loan but would be happier if they were able to get him on a more permanent basis.

And obviously, in the aftermath of his performances, especially the one against Manchester United where he tormented Maguire, has started attracting interest from bigger clubs, like London rivals Arsenal.

Armando Broja looked once again a class striker & seems to be causing problems to all defences. Really would like him in the first team next season. pic.twitter.com/4GGXsRa7bX

— Frank Khalid (@FrankKhalidUK) February 12, 2022

Since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left for Barcelona in the winter transfer window due to a fall out with the club and Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have been looking to reinforce the void left behind.

However, since the Blues did not even entertain the idea of letting Broja stay for yet another season with the Saints, it is very hard to see they will let one of their rivals snap him up.

Francis Benali on Armando Broja:

"I genuinely feel as a former defender, I would be thinking that ('oh no, not you again'). He is strong, powerful, he is positive, he is a threat in the air & he quite clearly can score goals as well.” pic.twitter.com/MPWrKiHG3O

— Chelsea Loan Army (@CFCLoanArmy_) February 14, 2022

For Arsenal, they have a crisis in the forward line approaching in the summer with both Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette set to leave on a free with contracts running down in the next few months.

With highly touted Gabriel Martinelli playing as a striker up front in training settings, it is not yet clear what Arsenal’s plans are for Armando Broja if they do plan to pursue him.

Arsenal are monitoring #Chelsea striker Armando Broja ahead of the summer transfer window.

[via @Football_LDN]

— Absolute Chelsea (@AbsoluteChelsea) February 13, 2022

But it is not as if Chelsea are totally against the idea of letting go of Armando Broja, since reports from last month did cite a price a for the Albanian international for Chelsea to let go of him.

It would apparently take Chelsea’s management £20 million to ponder over letting him go to another club, however how much truth those reports hold is up for debate.

With the young striker having been tied down to a long term just last year in the summer and with no option to buy on for Southampton at the end of the season, it may be that Tuchel plans on incorporating him in the squad next season.

Armando Broja left Spurs academy for Chelsea when he was 9, because his dream was 2 play for Chelsea. He scored against them at White Hart Lane & celebrated in front of Spurs fans to help Southampton stun Spurs with a comeback win the other day. Please @ChelseaFC do not sell him pic.twitter.com/2Jx45hfEea

— Frank Khalid (@FrankKhalidUK) February 14, 2022

It is not unthinkable for Chelsea and Arsenal to strike deals for players, however the pattern with recent deals suggests that Chelsea usually only sell players when their powers are declining, while Arsenal does the opposite.

A deal is still very much not on the cards as Blues are very unlikely to sell him in the summer, much less to a Premier League rival in Arsenal.

The Chelsea youth academy graduate has been a hot prospect for this past season in the Premier League

The young talent has lit up the Selhurst Park this season with his amazing performances from the center of the pitch, with his coach Patrick Vieira even comparing him to Blues icon Frank Lampard.

The box to box midfielder’s undying passion and his footballing talent has made sure he’s managed to become a key part of the Eagles’ setup for this season.

It’s been reported that PSG are willing to offer £50m for him in January

Evidence of his quality can also be found in his numbers, as he’s managed himself 7 goals and 3 assists in just 16 starts in the Premier League so far, not to mention his MOTM worthy showings besides his numbers.

And it looks like the youngster has finally forced a decision upon Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, who now intends to keep him for next season.

Gallagher’s performance earned him a national team debut and could be in contention for WC22

Well, at least, according to journalist Jacob Steinberg, it seems that indeed the player is not going to be sold or sent out again on loan but rather kept in the Blues squad for this season.

“Conor Gallagher is gonna come back, Tuchel really likes him and he wants him to be part of Chelsea’s first team squad next season,” if these words said by Jacob are true, quite sure a lot of Chelsea fans will be delighted.

"Conor Gallagher is gonna come back, Tuchel really likes him and he wants him to be part of Chelsea's first team squad next season."

– @JacobSteinberg

Full Podcast here 👇https://t.co/ExQN02S3t1 pic.twitter.com/CKlIaIg1Eq

— Simon Phillips (@siphillipssport) January 28, 2022

And obviously so, if the Englishman does come back to steal himself a spot in the squad as one of the midfielders next season, it means Tuchel’s men will undergo some changes come next season.

What this means for the team is that potentially at least 1 or 2 players may end up making a move away from Chelsea’s midfield to somewhere else, it’s already been reported that Jorginho wants a move back to Italy.

If this indeed does happen (and it may not), then Tuchel has plenty more reasons to keep Conor Gallagher at Stamford Bridge, as the team certainly needs that energy and talent in the center of the pitch too.

However, this all might not be necessary if Tuchel can pinpoint his role in the squad early on and some are suggesting that it should be to become N’Golo Kante’s backup for next season.

Gallagher as Kante’s long term replacement?

Now, obviously, reaching Kante’s level in the center of the pitch is not something anyone can just easily pull off. The player has been a machine ever since that Leicester title winning season and his move to Stamford Bridge.

Kante has been the one that has been pulling the strings and being the defensive cushion our players have needed for several seasons now, often doing more than enough work for two players.

The midfielder is among the best midfielders in the league so far

Nevertheless, his ‘blanket’ abilities that covered for everything in midfield now seem to be waning, as the player enters his thirties and has found it hard to cope with injuries recently.

Constant injury issues, which may have been caused by never ending travelling and fatigue may be catching up. And it may be time that the French midfielder receives some support in midfield now.

Tuchel on Conor Gallagher: "You could wake up him up at 4am and he'll start running and sprinting and winning duels." [@AdamNewson] #CFC

— CFCDaily (@CFCDaily) November 5, 2021

And for Gallagher, who better to learn from in his position than the Kante himself before passing on the throne eventually?

He definitely has energy that makes us think that he resembles Kante, a possible backup option for now and a long-term replacement given his stamina and work-rate in midfield.

In the end, however, it remains to be seen if he does stay at Stamford Bridge or not. If he comes back, there aren’t many players in his role that are better than him at Chelsea, other than Kante himself.

The Chelsea loanee has been compared to Stamford Bridge dearest Frank Lampard by his current manager

The English talent had been on the radar of Chelsea’s management and Thomas Tuchel before the season started and it was decided that he was yet not good enough to cement himself amongst so much world class midfield that Chelsea possess.

However, with Chelsea performing so poorly in all facets of the game, including midfield coupled with the rapid rise of Conor Gallagher as one of the most prized talents in the Premier League has made everyone stand up and take notice.

Chelsea's top PL goalscorer: Mason Mount
Palace's top PL goalscorer: Conor Gallagher
Southampton's top PL goalscorer: Armando Broja

Straight Outta Cobham 👊 pic.twitter.com/bY9H7vIxEr

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) January 12, 2022

The box to box midfielder has scored 7 goals this season in 18 starts he’s made. Coupled with his never ending stamina tank to run across the pitch for 90 minutes, he’s already a scary prospect for his opponents.

Former Arsenal legend and current Crystal Palace manager had this to say about the Cobham graduate:

“It is a manager’s dream to have a player like Conor because when he is on the field, he will give everything. He is focused, concentrated and will always give his best. This is something that for me is really important.”

Besides this, the youngster has been likened to a certain box to box goal scoring midfielder that donned the Blue shirt for many a years. Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira has likened Gallagher’s finishing to a certain Frank Lampard.

Thomas Tuchel on Conor Gallagher:

‘I would have loved to play with him as a teammate. He is a helper. He starts on minute one and finishes maybe in the shower.’ pic.twitter.com/t9xYoD7Jst

— Chelsea Loan Army (@CFCLoanArmy_) December 7, 2021

High praise indeed, but if he wants to keep improving and someday make it at Stamford Bridge, he has to have high ambitions for himself.

Thomas Tuchel has also showered praises upon the players, “We love Conor. We are convinced about him.” The German has also stated “I love him,” when asked about the loanee.

England cap already handed

It wasn’t only his parent and loan club that have been thoroughly impressed by his showings this season.

He was also picked up for the English squad in the winter international break, where he came on against San Marino.

The player gave credits to former Arsenal legend Vieira for his first England cap

After coming on as a substitute, the energetic midfielder showed how good he really is right off the bat as he started bossing the midfield and came close to scoring a couple of times.

Gareth Southgate later said the player ‘deserved’ his England call-up , as he said “We’ve been very impressed with him,” he said of the Chelsea loanee.

What is his playing style?

The Cobham graduate is a young, energetic box to box midfielder who is involved in all facets of the game. From going back on defensive duties and disrupting attacks for opponents to showing up in the opponent box to scoring.

His best game in an Eagles jersey perhaps came against Everton where he scored a brace against the Toffees, including a potential goal of the season contender.

Conor Gallagher’s game by numbers vs. Everton:

100% successful long passes
94% pass accuracy
7 shots (3 on target)
3 chances created
2 tackles won
2 goals

Such a special player. 💫 pic.twitter.com/rMOZizruNs

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) December 12, 2021

He was all over the pitch, making tackles, running the game through him as well as being lethal up front.

Besides his contribution in front the net, the midfielder is also a remarkable playmaker as shown by his assist tally, where he’s bagged 3 assists and a great key passes average per game.

The midfielder has to work on his bad fouls conceded

However, if there is one aspect of his game he has to improve upon glaringly, that would be his fouls. He was very foul prone at West Brom last season and it seems much hasn’t improved this season either.

And for a top side like Chelsea, which relies on free flowing attacking, a player with problems in fouling properly and getting penalised can be a cause for concern.