Bordeaux's English forward Josh Maja celebrates after scoring a goal during the French L1 football match between FC Girondins de Bordeaux (FCGB) and Nimes (NO) at the Matmut Atlantique stadium in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on December 3, 2019. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP) (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)
According to French journalist Clement Carpentier (h/t Chronicle Live), Sheffield United are keen on making a move for Josh Maja. The former Sunderland man has been in decent form for Bordeaux. However, with Chris Wilder ruling out any spending in January, a loan deal looks highly likely to be on the agenda.
Josh Maja spent time in the youth ranks of Crystal Palace, Fulham, and Manchester City before completing his development at Sunderland. He made his professional debut for the Black Cats in an EFL Cup tie against QPR during the 2016-17 season before making his league bow for Sunderland in the Championship in the following campaign.
Maja scored 15 goals in 24 appearances in League One for Sunderland during the first half of the 2018-19 season, with his prolific form paving the way for a move to Bordeaux in January 2019. The 21-year-old found the net once in 7 Ligue 1 outings during the latter half of the campaign before establishing himself in a more prominent role last term.
The Nigerian managed 6 goals and 2 assists in 21 league appearances, including just 6 starts in the Covid-curtailed 2019-20 season. The youngster has struck 11 goals in 45 appearances for Bordeaux in all competitions. Maja has just one appearance for Nigeria, which came in September last year.
The Blades have been hit hard hard this season in terms of results in contrast to last season. They have been able to scrape just the two draws from their 14 games so far and have a rather concerning -17 goal difference. Nothing they have done has paid off and it pretty much looks like they are going to be in a relegation dogfight come the second half of the season.
From the looks of it, Sheffield could immediately do with some reinforcements in the forward line. Josh Maja ticks the box in that regard. The Nigerian has always been regarded as a player with potential ever since his days in Sunderland’s academy. Sheffield United should definitely look to go for his services in January.
The 21-year-old proved himself to be a cut above the rest in the English third-tier a couple of seasons back and has progressed by leaps and bounds since moving to France. Regular game time at Bordeaux has allowed Maja to make a real impression and the Blades should look to phase him into the mix should a move materialise in the near future.
Josh Maja has already started to deliver on his potential at Bordeaux and still has his best years ahead of him at 21. Sheffield ideally needs a striker to get those goals flowing and fast. They have struck just 8 times this season and the addition of Maja could be a vital one for them.