Blackburn Rovers make move for 24-year-old free agent

Blackburn Rovers look to make a move for free agent Josh Maja this summer.

Despite the transfer window only opening a matter of weeks ago, Blackburn Rovers have been extremely busy in the market.

Jon Dahl Tomasson took charge of his first season managing in England last term, and it was an excellent start to his reign.

The club unfortunately suffered heartbreak on the final day of the Championship season in the play-off race, but for the whole of the 2022/23 season, Blackburn were competing at the top end of the table.

The Lancashire club will have the same targets again in the 2023/24 season, but they will know they need more additions if they are to compete at the very top.

Rovers saw some big name players leave the club when their contracts expired, so it will be Dahl Tomasson’s mission to find suitable replacements.

Ben Brereton Diaz is someone that needs replacing, and with potential transfer fees getting in the way, the club should be smart and make a move for Josh Maja.

What is Josh Maja’s situation?

Maja broke onto the football scene at Sunderland, after coming through the ranks at Fulham before moving to Manchester City at an early age.

He joined Sunderland in 2015 and stayed at the club until 2019, when he left for French side Bordeaux.

The striker’s time at the club has been a mixed bag, as he’s played for the club but also spent seasons on loan at various clubs.

During his time in France, Maja has spent time on loan at Fulham and Stoke City, where he scored a combined total of five goals.

The 24-year-old ended his loan at Stoke last summer and spent this season playing for Bordeaux, where he scored 16 goals in 37 Ligue 2 games. The striker’s contract at the club expired this summer, and Maja opted against signing a new deal and is now a free agent.

Interest will no doubt be high in the player, and with a return to England possible, Blackburn should be very keen on signing the forward.

Why should Blackburn Rovers sign Josh Maja?

Maja is a player who is still very much at the start of his football career, with him nowhere near the finished product, but has the ability to be a very good striker at Championship level.

He is a player who, when he left Sunderland, was expected to go on and achieve big things, but that hasn’t happened, and he is now trying to rediscover his best form.

Maja is only 24 and showed in large parts what he is capable of at Bordeaux last season, and while he didn’t excel at Fulham and Stoke previously, he has all the potential to go right to the top.

Maja showed for Sunderland, albeit in League One, that he can score goals in the EFL (15 in 24 games), and with the right players around him, he has all the traits to score goals on a consistent basis.

Blackburn will no doubt still be in the market for more attacking additions, as replacing Brereton Diaz will be a hard task. But, while he may not be as prolific as the Chilean or fill his boots, Maja on a free transfer could be an excellent bit of business for the Lancashire outfit.

The 24-year-old would be a low-risk signing given he is a free agent, and with an arm around him from Dahl Tomasson and service from his teammates, Maja could be a bargain signing for the club.