Fulham offer Josh Maja a way back to English football

Fulham need goals, and their trusty Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrović isn’t providing them this season. This si why manager Scott Parker has tried to play wingers Ademola Lookman and Ivan Cavailero upfront of late. Still, the team from West London need someone to bang in goals regularly if they’re to remain in the Premier League.

One such player could be Josh Maja of Bordeaux. The Lewisham-born 22-year-old striker spent his entire youth in England, spending time at Crystal Palace, Fulham and Manchester City before joining Sunderland’s Academy of Light at 17. He impressed in the Northeast of England and earned his first professional contract. His rise came in a bad period for the club that suffered back-to-back relegations and Maja jumped on the opportunity to leave Sunderland in January 2019 after refusing to extend his Black Cats contract.

Maja managed 11 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions for the Ligue 1 club. Now he may be going back to a club where he’s had a short stint as a youngster. Still only 22 years old, Maja must be hungry to prove himself at an English club. The Cottagers’ boss Scott Parker is desperate to bolster his attacking options.

"I think we need that in that area because we're light in numbers. We have one recognised striker at our football club in Mitrović and he's been fantastic for us. Cavaleiro has been playing as a nine for us as well and has done remarkably well. We need competition to help the team evolve in this division, it is an area we need to look at."