Mauricio Pochettino makes Harry Kane comparison as Chelsea boss hails ‘massive potential’ of wanted striker Armando Broja

Chelsea remain open to offers for Broja, with Fulham, Wolves, and West Ham monitoring the 22-year-old. The forward has struggled to find his feet at Stamford Bridge and has scored just twice after making a comeback from a knee injury.

In defence of Broja, Pochetino drew parallels between his situation and Kane's early days at Tottenham and urged the young striker not to let transfer speculation impact his performance.

“The potential is massive,” Pochettino said. “All the biggest strikers need time. When they are young, they need to find their own balance. But I believe that he has the potential to be an amazing striker.

“I always compare it to Harry Kane. He went on loan to Leyton Orient, Norwich and spent time finding his real balance. In our first six months, he started to perform only in December and January and that’s when we started to see his real potential.”

The constant speculation about Napoli's Victor Osimhen moving to Chelsea in the summer has further pressured Broja to deliver. However, Pochettino believes it is part and part and parcel of the sport and encouraged the young striker to focus on the task at hand instead of getting ruffled by the speculation.

“It is part of the business, part of football,” Chelsea’s head coach said. “In the end, you can’t escape. If we want all the benefits of being in this club, Chelsea, we need to accept that it is a massive responsibility and this type of thing can happen. You are always going to be judged. It is normal. It is our job.

“If you want to be in this business and take the responsibility to play you need to accept that this is the business. If you’re a coach, staff, or player and don’t have the capacity to deal or cope with the pressure it is difficult to be at the top. You can play football but maybe not at this level.”

The potential sale of Broja poses a risk for Chelsea, as it could leave Pochettino with limited forward options. The coach faces challenges with Nicolas Jackson at the Africa Cup of Nations, Christopher Nkunku nursing a hip injury, and a potential target in Aston Villa's Jhon Duran, also sidelined with a hamstring injury.

However, Chelsea are gradually finding form under Pochettino and are unbeaten in nine home games before hosting Villa on Friday in the FA Cup.