Everton told to ‘bite the bullet’ as Chelsea stance on Broja emerges
Kieran Maguire believes Chelsea are calling all the shots regarding Armando Broja’s loan deal with Everton.
The Blues are exploring the possibility of returning the forward to Stamford Bridge after an injury-hit spell on Merseyside [Bryan King].
However, football finance expert Maguire spoke about the situation on the talkSPORT Transfer Notebook podcast (27 January, 7:54) and believes Chelsea would be willing to terminate the loan, but only if suitable compensation is awarded.
He said: “As Alex [Crook] rightly says, you can only have two players on loan at any one point in time. Chelsea would take the player back to Stamford Bridge, but they would still expect Everton to honour the contract.
“So there won’t be any cost savings in the player going back to Chelsea, and Chelsea are in a position to play hardball. I think Everton are going to have to bite the bullet on this one.”
Everton face difficult Armando Broja dilemma
As Maguire states, Everton will pay their end of the Broja deal regardless of whether he remains on Merseyside.
Sky Sports journalist Alan Myers reported on Saturday (25 January) that the Albanian will remain with the Blues until the end of the season despite his injury concerns.
Chelsea’s rather forceful stance could very well sway the decision – considering Todd Boehly has spent over £1billion since taking charge in West London, haggling over a minimal loan fee is baffling.
Nevertheless, David Moyes must bolster his squad before the 3 February deadline, and with loan deals as the most likely avenue, the Toffees boss will have a difficult but straightforward decision ahead.
One of Broja and Jack Harrison must be sent back to their parent club under Premier League rules and considering Harrison has yet to register a single goal contribution this term, he should be the one to leave.
There could be a scenario where both are sent packing to free up room for Moyes to acquire two more capable loan signings ahead of another relegation battle, but as things stand, this is unlikely.
Nevertheless, with only seven days left of the winter transfer window, time is running out for Everton, and the time to contemplate decisions is over – it is time for swift action.
In other Everton news, Sean Dyche “already put to shame” after what a Blues ace did for David Moyes.
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