Tottenham Hotspur allegedly looked closely at Sunderland.
Netflix have now released season two of ‘Sunderland ‘Til I Die’, with fans across the country no doubt keen to see Sunderland’s ups and downs from last season.
The first season covered Sunderland’s relegation from the Championship, with Martin Bain becoming the star of the show for al the wrong reasons.
Season two has covered how Bain spent £100,000 on a cryo chamber for his bad back, as Stewart Donald attempted to steady the ship and get Sunderland back on track.
Trimming the wage bill was important for a club haemorrhaging money, but they were also desperate to keep one player with a big new contract.
Josh Maja emerged as a real talent for Sunderland last season, smashing 16 goals in 30 games – but he was in the final year of his deal at the Stadium of Light.
Come January, Maja was a wanted man, and having snubbed Sunderland’s attempts to keep him, he moved on to France with Bordeaux instead.
The 21-year-old hasn’t enjoyed quite the same success yet, but six goals in 21 league games this season – having started just six games – shows the talent he has.
Episode two of the new series covers Sunderland’s attempts to keep Maja at the club, with Donald growing increasingly frustrated with the striker and his agent.
Head of Football Operations Richard Hill was seen chatting to Donald about Maja, claiming that Tottenham had watched him up to nine times ahead of making a move, but they seemingly chose not to.
Maja was bon in London, so a return to the capital may just appeal to him in the future, and Spurs will surely be keeping tabs on his progress in France as a result.
“The initial offer we made Josh, we then increased it considerably,” said Hill. “The last time I spoke to Josh with the new offer, he just said ‘you need to speak to my agent’. I’ve spoken to his agent and said “This is it, full and final”. He’s had it emailed, said I’ll come back to you… still hasn’t come back to me. We’re hearing all sorts, but I mean Tottenham have been to watch him six, seven, eight, nine times,” he added.
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