Amidst the intense speculation surrounding the future of Josh Maja’s future, a host of clubs have emerged as potential destinations for the 20-year old Englishman.
A couple of days ago, Sunderland manager Jack Ross gave Maja an ultimatum, sign a new contract within a week or be sold in January. The offer tabled by Sunderland appeared to be attractive, £5000 per week, which is 7 times that of Maja’s current wages.
Much of Sunderland’s goals this season have came from Josh Maja
The aggressive stance of Ross to keep one of the Black Cats’ own, as well as wages offered, appeared to soften Maja as he indicated his interest to sign the new contract. However, in a twist of events, the signing was blocked by Maja’s agent, as reported by Sky Sports.
With the deadline up for Maja, it now seems inevitable that the talented young striker will leave the Stadium of Light, but where is the best destination for him to further his career?
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Newcastle United
Sunderland’s fierce Wearside rival, Newcastle United, will table a £5 million bid for Maja, as reported by The Sun, as the Toons prepare to reinforce their attack.
However, a transfer to Newcastle may not be the most ideal destination for Maja.
The Magpies are currently in the midst of a takeover negotiation and while this may potentially signal more funds forthcoming for the club in the transfer market, the opposite could well be true with the new owners not willing to over-commit to a club battling relegation at the moment.
Newcastle owner Mike Ashley may sell the club in the coming weeks
Newcastle currently sits 15th in the Premier League table, just 2 points off the bottom 3, with 21 matches played. If the Toons do get relegated, Maja will be playing in the Championship, and could also play against Sunderland, who are gearing for an immediate promotion from League One.
Newcastle also has plenty of strikers to choose from, boasting the firepower of Salomon Rondon, Yoshinori Muto, Joselu and Ayoze Perez, which may limit Maja’s playing time.
This is hardly the situation which Maja would want to find himself in, and it hardly suits his ambitions of playing at the top as well.
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Crystal Palace
While the potential situation for Maja at Newcastle United looks grim, it is not that much better off for him at Selhurst Park as well, with The Sun reporting Crystal Palace’s interest in Maja as well.
The Eagles sit 14th in the Premier League, one position above Newcastle United, and 6 points off the bottom 3.
Just like Newcastle, Crystal Palace also has a list of strikers in their ranks, with Connor Wickham, Jordan Ayew and Alexander Sorloth currently available. Christian Benteke is also close to a return, and Maja may also have to fight hard for his place.
Christian Benteke is close to a return for Crystal Palace, increasing competition for the forward spot
Unlike the playing system at Sunderland where Maja operates as a lone forward, the Crystal Palace under Roy Hodgson prefers to play with 3 upfront, with Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha supporting the centre forward.
While this may mean more firepower support for Maja, it also means that only one striker plays at any time, with the other 2 positions on the flanks occupied by Townsend and Zaha, making Crystal Palace another less than ideal destination for Maja.
Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha runs the show for Crystal Palace on the flanks
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City
While there are a whole list of clubs which are also interested in Josh Maja, namely Huddersfield Town, Cardiff City, Bristol City, Leeds United, Burnley and etc., the two big clubs which have emerged as suitors for his signature are Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.
So which of these two clubs would be the best move for Maja?
At first glance, City may be the rewarding club for Maja. He spent some time in City’s academy before joining Sunderland due to the Sky Blues’ unwillingness to offer him a scholarship.
However, if the list of strikers at Newcastle and Crystal Palace would cause Maja to rethink his decision to join them, then surely the situation at City is worse.
While Manchester City do not have as much centre forwards among their ranks like Newcastle and Crystal Palace, the competition for that spot at the Etihad Stadium is pretty much a two-way battle between Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus, and it would take years before Maja can establish himself ahead of them.
It would be near impossible for Josh Maja to get ahead of Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus at Manchester City
Just like Crystal Palace, Manchester City operates a three-man forward line, with Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez vying for the positions on the flanks to play alongside the centre forward.
This makes the competition even stiffer for Maja as he would have to get ahead of both Aguero and Jesus in order to play.
On the other hand, while Tottenham Hotspur may not be able to offer Maja the level of wages that City can, it would still be significantly higher than that of the rest of the clubs chasing his signature, and definitely higher than the £5000 per week offered by Sunderland.
Similar to Sunderland, Spurs typically plays with one man forward, mostly Harry Kane, a system that is familiar and suits Maja.
While Spurs still have Fernando Llorente and Vincent Janssen in their ranks, they are not trusted and are expected to depart the club in this January transfer window, allowing Maja to immediately enter as the second choice striker in the club.
The one man forward system at Spurs also mean that there are always opportunities for Maja to play alongside Kane in a two-forward system, be it in situations where Spurs have to chase the game or when Mauricio Pochettino just wants to break down the defence of the opponents.
Fancy Maja playing alongside Kane?
Spurs are also conveniently situated in the city of London, where Maja was born in, and this would definitely be a huge factor of consideration for the 20-year old.
Just like Manchester City, Spurs can also offer Maja Champions League football, and given Mauricio Pochettino’s reputation for developing youth players, Maja would find himself in good hands and even receive a Three Lions call-up and put on the England jersey.
Overall, in terms of location, wages and playing time, even from an unbiased point of view, joining Tottenham Hotspur will be the best choice for Josh Maja.
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