- Fulham will not have to pay the full £4m fee if Broja starts 60 per cent of games.
- Brazilian striker Rodrigo Muñiz signed for Fulham from Flamengo in 2021
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On the one hand, Fulham are delighted that Rodrigo Muñiz scored suddenly. On the other, they face the dilemma of what to do with Armando Broja, the striker who arrived on loan from Chelsea on deadline day.
Fulham’s deal with Chelsea is unusual because the more games Broja starts, the less it will cost.
Fulham will cover his wages no matter what, but Mail Sport understands they will not have to pay the full £4m fee if the Albanian, 22, starts 60 per cent of their games – a threshold that can only be reach if he lines up in nine of his remaining 14 Premier League games, after starting this victory over Bournemouth on the bench.
Described as a ‘pay not to play’ deal, Chelsea agreed to this abnormal setup because they want Broja to play and score, so they can get closer to their £50m valuation if they sell him in the summer. As a local asset, it would represent pure profit. However, Muñiz, 22, is complicating this master plan.
The Brazilian, who signed for Fulham from Flamengo in 2021 and was on loan at Middlesbrough last season, had never scored in the Premier League.
Armando Broja joined Fulham on loan from west London rivals Chelsea on deadline day
The forward did not play many minutes at Chelsea and it was difficult for him to string together good performances
Rodrigo Muñiz appears to have reached some form just in time for Fulham, scoring three in a week.
However, since Broja’s signing, he has scored three goals in one week.
Not to mention the role he played in setting up Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s first goal in six minutes here. Muñiz is making it difficult for Marco Silva to leave him with Aston Villa at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
The Fulham manager stated that he does not know the details of Broja’s deal and insisted that he will choose his team based on their performances. If that’s the case, Muñiz should start against Villa.
“I had a conversation with him (Broja) about the situation,” Silva said of the fact that the Chelsea loanee will be a substitute for the second week in a row. ‘We believe in him. He knows that when you are in the Premier League there is competition for places.
‘It arrived the day before the Burnley game (February 3). The forward who was playing (Muniz) scored an important goal. It doesn’t matter if he has a contract or if he is on loan.
‘Football players are not stupid. They can understand decisions. One way to deal with the situation is to work hard and prove that they are better than others.’