Although Fulham faces a conundrum with Armando Broja’s “pay-as-you-don’t-play” contract from Chelsea, they will be relieved to see Brazilian attacker Rodrigo Muniz return to form.

Although Fulham faces a conundrum with Armando Broja’s “pay-as-you-don’t-play” contract from Chelsea, they will be relieved to see Brazilian attacker Rodrigo Muniz return to form.

The unique aspect of Fulham’s contract with Chelsea is that Broja’s fee decreases with the number of games he starts.

Fulham will pay his wages regardless of the outcome, but Mail Sport has learned that they won’t have to pay the entire £4 million fee if the 22-year-old Albanian starts 60% of his games. That threshold can only be reached if he plays in nine of Fulham’s remaining 14 Premier League games after coming off the bench to start this match against Bournemouth.

Chelsea consented to this unusual setup, which has been described as a “pay-as-you-don’t-play” contract, because they want Broja to play and score so they can come close to realizing his £50 million valuation if they sell him in the summer. He would be an asset grown domestically, pure profit. But Muniz, 22, is making this grand scheme more difficult.

The Brazilian, who left Flamengo to join Fulham in 2021, was without a Premier League goal prior to spending the previous season on loan at Middlesbrough.

Not to mention that, after six minutes, he set up Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s first goal. Marco Silva is finding it challenging to let Muniz go, especially with Aston Villa up next at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

The manager of Fulham stated he will choose his team based on performance and asserted he is unaware of the specifics of Broja’s contract. If so, Muniz ought to get the start versus Villa.

‘I had a conversation with him (Broja) about the situation,’ said Silva about the Chelsea loanee being a substitute for a second successive week. ‘We believe in him. He knows that when you are in the Premier League, there is competition for places.

‘He arrived a day before the Burnley game (on February 3). The striker who played (Muniz) scored an important goal. It doesn’t matter if he is on a contract or if he is on loan.