I was not pleased with the signing of Armando Broja initially. With just eight goals to his name, a string of injuries and a failed loan spell at Fulham under his belt, the 22-year-old seemed like a panic buy that will have little impact at the club.
A clear favourite of Kevin Thelwell, who has chased Broja across multiple transfer windows, he was officially revealed as an Everton player today after first meeting up with the Albanian squad to assess an injury that will keep him out until next month.
In a bid to find a positive in the situation I took a look at all of Broja’s goals in English football so far and some scouting reports of the player to see where he fits in at Everton and how he could be a success at the club.
Broja is an interesting profile. Big and strong, he actually excels with the ball at his feet, using his dribbling ability and eye for a finish to break through defences. During his successful spell at Vitesse in the Netherlands at the age of 18 he registered 4.78 dribbles per 90 and had an impressive 43.4% completion on these attempts, according to Total Football Analysis.
It adds: “Broja is confident taking on shots from different angles, but he will also use his dribbling to force a better shooting angle. Broja disguises his dribbling often looking to fein shooting on goal, before cutting inside.”
The theme is clear after watching his goals at Southampton and Chelsea. Broja has two key moves. The first is to drop back into the number 10 slot, ready to move when possession is won. Clever movement into space between or around the centre halves, who are often out of position, mean he can latch on to passes and shoot before the opposition can regroup.
According to another tactics website, ExtraTimeTalk, Everton’s pressing is not high octane but is effective. It says: “When looking at the total and shot-ending high turnovers in the 2023/24 Premier League season, Everton ranks in the top five, along with Arsenal, City, Liverpool, and Tottenham. However, their chance conversion from such scenarios has been abysmal.”
This is where Broja begins to make sense. His ability to run at the defence, get in behind and generally stretch defences during turnovers could be crucial. His ability to beat a man and, more importantly, finish the chance, is something Everton severely lack. Think back to Fulham at home last season, or even the second half at Bournemouth before things collapsed. Everton broke well but had nobody to finish off the chances.
Broja’s second move is to collect the ball in channels, cut inside and unleash a shot. His close control again comes through here and would allow Everton overloads on the wings, especially if partnered with the equally tricky Illiman Ndiaye.
Broja’s signing allows Everton to become a more cohesive attacking unit when forcing high turnovers, or when breaking from defence. Cleverer with his runs than Beto, he is also quick and has good close control. Less strong as a target man, it would mean a shift in tactics for Everton but one that is not a huge change to the current set up.
Here are each of his goals and how they demonstrate Broja’s strengths in attack.
Southampton 1-0 Leeds, October 2021
Southampton’s quick counter attack saw Nathan Redmond running at a scattered Leeds defence down the left. His pass inside to Broja was a little short but the striker got there ahead of a defender and the goalkeeper and finished high into the net.
He said: “It was a great run from Nathan Redmond, he said before the game the goals will come, just to keep making runs. He put the ball on a plate for me and I was able to finish.”
Southampton 2-2 Burnley, October 2021
Look away James Tarkowski. His poor pass out of defence was intercepted by Diallo and Sean Dyche, whose Burnley were enduring a poor start to the season, saw Broja seize on the pass, drive past Tarkowski and fire across the keeper from a tight angle. Excellent movement and a well timed run led to the creation of the chance as much as poor defending.
Southampton 1-1 Brighton, December 2021
A theme is emerging here. Broja is excellent at manouvreing into space and anticipating a turnover. This time Southampton press and win the ball on half way. Broja is instantly making the arching run towards the right of the area that worked so well against Burnley. This time he shows superb composure to sit the Shane Duffy down and slot across the keeper again.
Bizarrely, Brighton’s equaliser came from Neal Maupay in the 98th minute – a sad indication of the level of defending in this game.
Palace 2-2 Southampton, December 2021
Broja hit his fourth goal in six with another good finish from the opposition losing the ball. It’s notable that in three goals in a row he has moved into the number ten space to collect the ball before quickly turning towards goal. This time he doesn’t have to move far – he thumps in a low effort from distance into his favourite corner to the keeper’s right.
Southampton 4-1 Brentford, January 2022
My favourite goal of the lot. Broja does not wait centrally this time, instead picking up space on the left on the half way line. As a deep-sitting Southampton break Romeu picks him out with a through ball he shows pace to get behind the defence and finish. It is the first time he has scored from running in behind and shows he can be a threat against high line defences thanks to his pace and clever movement.
Spurs 2-3 Southampton, February 2022
Probably the odd goal out here. An impressive win for Southampton and some dodgy defending from Spurs. Broja turns home a low cross in a very Jelavic-esque first time finish. He did well to shape his foot correctly as it was played across.
Southampton 3-1 West Ham, March 2022
Saints moved into the quarter final of the FA Cup with an impressive win over West Ham. Broja’s goal was again off the left, where he jinks into the box, beats a couple of players and places it into the far corner. Technically it’s leagues above the current Everton strikers. Broja also won a penalty in the same game.
Chelsea 3-0 Wolves, October 2022
Good control, driving in from the left, finding the corner with a low drive from distance. His close control and composure allow Broja to score a very good first goal for Chelsea and continue the goalscoring pattern.
Fulham 0-2 Chelsea, October 2023
Injuries had curtailed Broja’s career for 12 months but his first goal back was a similar sight. Fulham turned over the ball, Broja was on his bike through the defence and he was picked out with a pass to poke the ball home.
Chelsea 4-0 Preston, January 2024
Broja, despite his injuries and lack of game time, has scored a goal this calendar year. His only header in English football came in the third round of the FA Cup against Preston. It was a great header, meeting a cross and sending it across goal and into the far corner.