Chelsea forward Armando Broja scored his first goal since October last year in the 2-0 victory away at Fulham last night.
The 22-year-old suffered an ACL injury against Aston Villa in a warm-up game during the World Cup break last season, with the Albanian making his first start since his lay-off against Marco Silva’s side.
Broja capitalised on a mistake by defender Tim Ream which saw him bundle the ball past the helpless Bernd Leno.
Steve Cooper was interested in signing the striker during the summer of 2022, however, Chelsea insisted that the striker was not for sale after his impressive loan stint at Southampton the season prior.
Armando Broja on his return to action
Speaking after the victory, the forward admitted he had a conversation with boss Mauricio Pochettino ahead of the game at Craven Cottage.
“The manager pulled me into his office [on Sunday] and asked me how I would feel if I were to start the game.
“I said to him of course I want to start and help the team and try to score if I can. Thankfully I did start, scored and we got the win.”
Forest targeted Broja twice last season
Nottingham Forest twice registered interest in signing the Chelsea academy graduate, but both approaches for the 22-year-old were knocked back.
The first approach came in June 2022, as Forest looked to improve their forward line heading into their first Premier League campaign in 23 years.
Cooper’s second approach came just before Broja’s unfortunate injury, which saw Forest withdraw their interest in the striker.
Although he didn’t sign for the Reds, it is great to see the youngster thriving and getting back to the levels he reached during his stint at Southampton.
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