Chelsea striker reveals how he ended up joining Tottenham’s academy 

Chelsea striker Armando Broja has opened up on his short stint at Tottenham as a youngster, and how his move to the North London club came about.

Broja came through the age group ranks at Chelsea’s academy and has had loan spells at Vitesse and Southampton over the last two seasons.

It was during his spell at St Mary’s that the forward hit the limelight, scoring 10 goals over the course of the 2021/22 campaign (Transfermarkt).

Broja has managed to break into Chelsea’s team on returning to Stamford Bridge, having made six appearances for the Blues across all competitions so far this season.

The 21-year-old, who was born in Berkshire, previously admitted to Chelsea’s official website that he was scouted by Tottenham when he was a kid and played for the North London club’s Under-8s and Under-9s before moving to the Blues.

The Albanian international has now narrated the story of how Spurs first signed him but admitted that he had always wanted to join Chelsea, having become a supporter of the West London club through his cousin.

Broja told The Players’ Tribune: “I remember going to a tournament. The Tottenham scout actually came to watch another boy.

“I happened obviously to play well that tournament and I got top goalscorer and I got best player at the tournament so 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’ and I was thinking, ‘who’s Tottenham?’

“Because I was quite young, I didn’t really know anything apart from my Sunday league team. So in my head, it was just Burnham Juniors – that’s all I knew!

“So, they were like ‘Oh Tottenham is in the Premier League, this, this, this, this and I was like, ‘Oh wow’.

“I said, ‘I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go’ And they were like, ‘We’re obviously speaking to them’. But I was so happy because I thought, ‘Wow, I’m going to play for a big team.’

“He (His cousin) would take me to every Chelsea game when I was like three or four so I always supported Chelsea.

“He loves Chelsea so in my head I just supported Chelsea, but I didn’t know the rivalry between Tottenham and Chelsea. So when I did join Tottenham I didn’t know what it was going to be like.

“In my head when I was at Tottenham, I supported them [Chelsea], but I always wanted to beat them because I wanted to show the Chelsea staff and everyone there that I want to join Chelsea.

“I was on the bench and then I was begging my manager to come on, ‘Please let me, we’re losing two-nil.’

“As soon as I came on, I got an assist and then I got a goal after that so we drew two-two. And then we moved over to the other side of the pitch and played the other team.

“We won twelve-nil I think, and I scored nine. Straight after that, the two Chelsea guys came over and said ‘Wow, we want you’.

“When they said that I didn’t think of anything else, I just wanted to join Chelsea. So eventually that obviously did happen and joined Chelsea end of under-nines, start of under tens so I’ve been there since then.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Broja certainly looks like he could have a long career in the Premier League based on the promise he showed at Southampton. If he does not get too many opportunities at Chelsea this season, I expect many Premier League clubs to be sniffing around the 21-year-old next summer.

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