Armando Broja suffered an ankle ligament injury while playing for Everton against Peterborough United in the third round of the FA Cup.
Attackerborrowed from Chelseais expected to be unavailable for approximately three months. According to a report by Andy Hunter in GuardianEverton want to end his loan in the current transfer window in order to unlock one of the loan spots and strengthen their squad for the upcoming relegation battle.
However, the 23-year-old will only return to Stamford Bridge Toffee complied with the financial demands of its parent club.
Why can’t Everton cut Broja’s loan short?
New Everton manager David Moyes told the media that Broja’s season-long loan deal could be terminated if Everton manage to stick to it.
However, Hunter reports that Chelsea want Everton to cover the full cost of the loan before the deal can be terminated. Broja signed for Everton while recovering from a separate injury and that appears to have made his situation particularly complicated.
“It is understood that Chelsea have agreed to cover the Albanian international’s wages while he is sidelined with Achilles problems,” says Hunter.
“Because [his injury] unrelated to the Achilles problem, Chelsea want Everton to cover the remaining cost of the loan before terminating the contract.
Broja has been struggling with injuries for the past few years, tearing his cruciate ligament in 2022, and upon his return the following year, he missed games due to further knee problems.
He has made just two appearances for Everton and three as a substitute this season, and lasted less than a quarter of the 2-0 win over Peterborough.
Broja has been playing for Chelsea since 2009, and made his debut in the first team in 2020. Before Everton, he had loan spells at Vitesse, Southampton and Fulham. He scored one goal in three league games in the Netherlands, but otherwise struggled to make a consistent impact on the game.
“It will probably mean he has to go back to Chelsea,” Moyes said after Everton’s defeat to Aston Villa, whose first full match was missed following Broja’s recent injury break.
The Albanian representative spent the second half of last season at Fulham and played only eight times. The second half of this season will be just as frustrating, regardless of where he ends up healing between now and April.
