“I was just thinking, ‘Who’s Tottenham?’ – Chelsea star recalls his reaction when Spurs tried to sign him
Chelsea striker Armando Broja has recalled his reaction to finding out that Tottenham Hotspur were interested in signing him when he was a schoolboy.
Broja was tacked by Chelsea scouts when he signed for Spurs during his time playing at school.
In an interview with the Players' Tribune (via Express), Broja has detailed how he reacted to interest from Tottenham:
"I was at Burnham Juniors, the club I was first at and I remember going to a tournament. The Tottenham scout actually came to watch another boy. I happened to play well that tournament, I got top goalscorer and best player."
Broja claims that the Blues were the only team the Albanian knew alongside his Sunday league team:
"They approached my mum and dad before I even knew about it so when I came back, my mum and dad said; 'Tottenham came over to us'. I was just thinking, 'Who's Tottenham?'. Because I was quite young, I only knew my Sunday league team [and Chelsea]."
Armando Broja had never heard of Tottenham before they scouted him as a child 👀😂 https://t.co/8WYwhIM5Nj
He ended up signing with the Lilywhites and spent two years in the north London side's academy and impressed in a youth match against Chelsea.
It was then that he would make his desired move to Stamford Bridge, rising up the youth ranks for 11 years before being handed his debut in 2020.
The Albanian has had a difficult time trying to break into Chelsea's XI. He has made just seven appearances for the Premier League club.
Broja spent last season on-loan at Southampton where he was able to showcase his talent on a consistent basis.
He made 38 appearances for the Saints, scoring nine goals.
The centre-forward is competing with the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kai Havertz for a starting berth in the Blues side.
He signed a new six-year deal with the west Londoners in the summer amidst speculation of a potential departure.
Chelsea striker Broja could still leave
Reports claim that reigning Serie A champions AC Milan are interested in Broja despite his contract renewal tying him to the Stamford Bridge side until 2028.
The Blues are considering offloading the Albanian as he has failed to make an impact for the side.
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Thank God for another year🙌🏻❤️🎉 https://t.co/4XIeq9YdBv
Milan duo Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Olivier Giroud are now at the back end of their careers and a move for Broja may be viewed as a replacement for the veteran pair.
Whether Broja will have more of a role under new manager Graham Potter for the remainder of the season remains to be seen.