Leeds United should beat Bristol City to sign Josh Maja

As per a report from Bristol Post, EFL Championship outfit Bristol City are plotting a move for Sunderland striker Josh Maja in the January transfer window. The teenage forward has been in fine form for the Black Cats in the League One this term, leading to interest from the Robins.

And Bristol City’s local rivals Leeds United should look to swoop in and beat Lee Johnson’s side to the capture of the 19-year-old striker.

After a strong start to the season under new manager Marcelo Bielsa, the Whites seem to have slowed down recently. Third in the table after 17 matches with just a three-point gap to league leaders Norwich City is a good position to be in, without a doubt. However, they were battered 4-1 by West Bromwich Albion last time out and have picked up only four wins since the end of August against bottom-half clubs.

There are some key areas on the pitch that Bielsa needs to address in the January transfer window if Leeds are to keep their hopes of promotion burning bright and chief among them is the centre-forward position.

Kemar Roofe has done exceptionally well as the striker in Bielsa’s setup and has come up with returns of 7 goals in his 11 appearances, while there has been good support from the likes of Pablo Hernandez and Mateusz Klich.

However, the injury to summer signing Patrick Bamford has left the Yorkshire based outfit a bit short-handed in the attack. While Tyler Roberts has netted three goals so far, he doesn’t look cut out to be the leading man of the team week in week out. And amid reports of interest in Roofe’s services from Premier League clubs (h/t Leeds Live), Bielsa and Leeds would be so much better off bringing in another centre-forward in the January window.

And the 19-year-old Maja certainly fits the bill. Having spent time at the Fulham and Manchester City academies, Maja moved to Sunderland youth setup in 2015 and has risen through the ranks rather rapidly. The striker made his first-team debut for the Black Cats in 2016, in an EFL Cup tie against QPR under then manager David Moyes but did not feature again that season.

Last season saw him get 18 matches for Sunderland under Chris Coleman, in which he managed to find the back of the net just once. This season, however, the Englishman has been in belligerent form, having already racked up 9 goals and 2 assists in 15 League One appearances, scoring more than a quarter of Sunderland’s goals (27.27%) in the competition.

The 19-year-0ld has flourished tremendously under the guidance of current Black Cats’ manager Jack Ross and is easily one of the finest young talents in England outside the top two divisions. At 19, the striker has shown immense potential and has a certain degree of experience in the Championship as well. And given the form that he has been in so far in the 2018/19 season, he certainly has what it takes to hit the ground running at Elland Road.

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And what makes him an even more attractive prospect is the fact that Maja is in the final year of his contract with the Wearside outfit and will be available on a bargain price. And that is why Leeds must act fast and beat Bristol City to the signing of the teenage striker in the winter transfer window.