I don't think it makes a huge amount of difference now TBH with the new owners. Unless Chelsea ask for something silly I still think we're in pole position to sign him (if they sell him). Broja likes it here, his family also want him to stay here, Chelsea know we will accept a buy back clause in any deal. I reckon we'd shell out 20mill for him. It's a low risk deal as we'll easily be able to get back what we spend and more when we sell him.
Hardly the ringing endorsement of him from Tuchel. Interesting considering they claim he is a big fan of him and “loves him” Worth also noting that Chelsea have today been linked with Hugo Ekitike from Reims. A 19 year old linked the Newcastle for circa 30m. So they might even be planning on signing a younger striker than Broja. Stories like this have surely got to play on his mind
I wonder whether there is some kind of block on us going for Brentford targets ? Not sure how that could be enforced. Especially as the guy with the connections isn’t technically a member of staff for Southampton FC
“They are our players because our Russian oligarch trumps your poxy Serbian media billionaire, you losers.”
Yeah that quote from Tuchel is rendered a bit absurd when you realise they extended Batshuayi’s contract for another year at the beginning of this season when he will never play for them. So he will now not be leaving on a free in the summer but will technically be a Chelsea player for another season I wonder what the “reason” is for that
If Broja had some sense he would make the move, Not because I want him to sign. But we will play him consistently, and he will get a big move in 3 years when he has matured, and played consistently good seasons... Chelsea like you said would ruin him.
Should just wait and see what his options are in the summer, hardly rocket science for him. If the quote about no loan next season is true then he will go to another PL team, West Ham would be my guess
I think there's going to be a bit of an adjustment period for some of the larger clubs, though admittedly they should have adjusted by now. The era of hanging on to a player until they're 23-24 while you try to figure out whether they feature in your plans are over; with even lower-mid-tier PL sides offering overnight-millionaire wages, in addition to playing time, there's just no value for a young player in spending years on the loan circuit. Broja could join us permanently this year and then (if he succeeds) get a big move elsewhere in less time than it'd take Chelsea to figure out if he's a useful squad player. I'd be surprised if they made a decision this window, but Chelsea's going to have to make a decision in the summer, and that decision won't be whether he might be one for their future...it's whether they are willing to promise him significant playing time in the 2022/23 season. Because if not, he's going to (rightly) agitate for the move.
Which will also be why we're agitating for a move now, because if we have to wait until the summer he/they may well get bigger offers than we can manage.
Another club signing young strikers when they already have good ones (Delap) Let the stockpiling continue
Not sure I quite see this one. He's been loaned out to Torquay where he's not a starter, and is far less effective than ex-Saint, the brilliantly named Armani Little.
If "Europe" is not the CL then is has nothing to offer players, it's fun for the fans, if it's novelty. He might well stay here, if we and he keep improving. His parents are keen for him to do so. WHU are too far up the table perhaps. Is there a precedent for wanting prospects on loan to play in the EUROPA? Barring fan's enthusiasm - if Europe is a novelty, for the clubs it's a bit of an inconvenience for clubs wanting the full-fat European competition, the standard isn't that high and from the loanee perspective you can't tell if the club will prioritises it. If West Ham get CL I can't see him being loaned to a now closer rival to Chelsea.
Definitely, though there's some player agency in that, as well. It's considered really bad form to set a price and then up it if further bids come in, so I'd imagine that Broja's agents will be pushing for a firm price in advance of the summer (so that they can immediately turn around and tell every team in the world what it is). I'm actually reasonably confident that, if Chelsea's ask is in the £20-25m range (and we're willing to pay it) that he'd join. He'd get a fair bit of interest, but with a more tenuous position in the squad and the need to prove himself again. The advantage of joining Saints is that he's already atop our team sheet, which wouldn't necessarily be the case at a West Ham or Everton.