“You’re not going to get £50m or £60m for a 22-yr-old who has only scored six goals, That’s a waste of money for anyone who does it”- Journalist blasts Chelsea for inflating price-tag of Wolves January target Armando Broja
Chelsea have been accused to trying to inflate player fees amid Wolves’ interest in striker Armando Broja.
With Fabio Silva and Sasa Kalajdzic leaving Molineux on loan and top-scorer Hwang Hee-chan away on Asian Cup duty with South Korea, Wolves boss Gary O’Neil is in need of further strike options.
Chelsea’s Armando Broja and former Aston Villa frontman Danny Ings have both been linked for a January move to the club, but the Blues have come under fire for their reported valuation of the Albania international.
Discussing a potential switch during the latest episode of the Telegraph’s transfer gossip daily podcast, writer Luke Edwards insisted Broja is not a “top-level striker”, despite being reportedly valued at between £50m and £60m by the Blues.
He added: “Lots of [Chelsea] managers have had a look at him and thought he’s not good enough. I don’t want to be brutal, but how can they say with a straight face that they will take £60m for him?
“It’s being compared to Brighton valuing Evan Ferguson at £100m. You’re not going to get £50m or £60m for a 22-year-old who has only scored six goals. That’s a waste of money for anyone who does it.
“The irony is Chelsea have tried to drive prices up in the Premier League market over the last two years. They paid £150m for [Moises] Caicedo and £105m for Enzo Fernandez, who both haven’t lived up to expectations.
“Maybe they just think that’s the going rate so they went and bought some overpriced players and are now thinking, ‘let’s go and fleece someone like Fulham or Wolves.
“Broja hasn’t won anything and he’s not done anything at Chelsea to suggest he is that sort of player. He’s not particularly done anything at international level but, he’s 22-years-old, he’s still young. I think there will be some clubs interested in him, absolutely.”
While the wisdom of pursuing a deal for Broja has been questioned, O’Neil’s need for reinforcements has been made clear by BBC pundit Michael Brown.
The former Tottenham and Sheffield United midfielder praised O’Neil for proving people wrong when he took over from Julen Lopetgui on the eve of the new season, but adds: “His squad is looking stronger, but I still think he needs a bit of help. He needs a couple of players who can play how he wants rather than him looking at the squad and having to adapt to them.”
O’Neil, the former Bournemouth boss, was tipped to oversee a relegation battle at Molineux this season, but instead he has overcome some questionable VAR decisions to guide them to midtable security while claiming the scalps of the likes of Manchester City and Spurs along the way.
