Manchester City and Tottenham are among a number of clubs that are monitoring highly-rated Josh Maja, who is currently tied to League One outfit Sunderland.
Josh Maja is the next Sunderland prospect that is reportedly generating interest from the Premier League. According to The Mirror, the likes of Manchester City, Tottenham and Southampton are among a flurry of top-tier clubs that are lining up to scour the 19-year-old.
Sunderland have really nosedived within the English football fraternity. Once a staple club in the Premier League, the Black Cats never really managed to recover from their relegation from top-tier English football. The relegation to League One football really stung them bad, with the club having to let go of many of their stars.
But, with it has arrived the prospect of building a team for the future and giving youngsters a faster track into the first-team setup. One player that has thrived thanks to the demotion is Josh Maja. The teenage striker is a former Manchester City star, who also plied his trade for fellow London clubs Fulham and Crystal Palace.
His start to the 2018-19 campaign has been unprecedented, scoring nine times in just 12 league appearances so far. Josh Maja is your typical modern-day agile centre forward. The 19-year-old has the pace to trouble opposition and the finishing to complement his agility and dribbling ability.
Interest from the Premier League was bound to arrive, with Manchester City, Tottenham and Southampton taking note.
Tottenham have been looking for a player to be the support act to Harry Kane. The likes of Vincent Janssen and Fernando Llorente have failed to impress, and Mauricio Pochettino could be tempted to gamble on another rising League One teenager, as he did in the case of Dele Alli.
Southampton would be Josh Maja’s best bet. The Saints have become a stable production house for young English talent. They currently boast of James Ward-Prowse, Matt Targett, Angus Gunn and Nathan Redmond within their ranks while a lot of their graduates have found home elsewhere within the Premier League.
Manchester City though, have a special connection with Josh Maja. He was on their books before being moved on, as the Citizens chose not to offer him a scholarship in 2015. Although he is still unlikely to be offered a first-team role at Etihad.
Maja’s deal is up in the summer, which means Sunderland will be sweating even more, thanks to the arrival of interest from the Premier League clubs. The Black Cats would hope the temptation of being a starter and regular first-team minutes would win the 19-year-old over.
As for Manchester City, Tottenham and Southampton, Josh Maja remains a prospect worth monitoring.
