West Ham United should be joining the race for Sunderland’s Josh Maja.
West Ham United are thought to be looking for a striker in January, and whilst Manuel Pellegrini will most likely be looking for a tested centre forward, he should also be looking to some youth.
Marko Arnautovic is West Ham’s leading light, and adding a target man for the bench would be a smart move, but there could be many changes in the Hammers’ front line.
Javier Hernandez looks set to leave in 2019 whilst Andy Carroll is out of contract at the end of the season, and bringing in a young striker to develop for the future should be a priority with Toni Martinez yet to really show that he can step up.
One player who should be on West Ham’s radar is Josh Maja, with the Sunderland hitman attracting major interest from Premier League clubs according to The Mirror, with his contract set to end in the summer.
Maja could go for around £6million, and West Ham should be keen on luring the 19-year-old to the London Stadium after hitting 11 goals in 20 games so far this season.
The teenager looks set for a big future, and whilst Manchester City and Tottenham are keen, a clearer path to first-team football in the Premier League may just lie with West Ham.
Maja was born in London and started out with Fulham, meaning that a return to the capital could be appealing, especially if Pellegrini can offer him first-team chances that Spurs may not be able to.
Battling those teams would be bold, but West Ham need a young striker to bring up and develop alongside their experienced forwards, and Maja – scoring goals in the Football League at such a young age and potentially available in 2019 – fits the bill perfectly.
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