From The Vault: What Josh Maja REALLY thought about his exit from Sunderland to Bordeaux

It hasn’t worked out for the striker in France but there were some flashes of quality during a loan move to Fulham, then in the Premier League, last season.

Indeed, Championship club Nottingham Forest had agreed a deal to pay Ligue 1 outfit Bordeaux a fee of €4.5m for former Sunderland man on deadline day.

That roughly equated to around £3.8m for the striker.

However, L'Équipe stated that the deal to bring Maja to the City Ground collapsed after concerns over Maja’s ongoing injury issues.

Having sold Maja to Bordeaux midway through the 2018-19 season, Sunderland would have been entitled to 10 percent of the profit Bordeaux made on Maja.

Maja’s departure from Wearside mid-way through Sunderland’s first season in League One was a controversial episode with the player and his agent often portrayed as the villain.

But what did the player said about his Stadium of Light exit?

Back in 2019, The Echo found out in an exclusive interview.

He said: “Basically, I wanted to stay. Given the right contract, I would have stayed.

“But at the time, I don’t think Sunderland were prepared to give me what I wanted so when the opportunity to play in one of Europe’s top five leagues came up, I couldn’t turn that down.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was one which to improve my career and my game I think I had to make.”

“I have ambitions in my career and in my life and this is just a stepping stone for me.

“I want to keep pushing and fans need to understand what players want for themselves.

“Even though that is a bit selfish, it’s a selfish game, isn’t it?

“For me it was important to make that move and playing at a higher level, it’s a given.”

For now, Maja remains at Bordeaux with the 22-year-old’s career currently on ice.

‘From The Vault’ is a series of nostalgic pieces and photo articles brought to you by The Echo, highlighting some of the best scenes and stories from seasons gone by for Sunderland supporters to enjoy.

A message from the Football Clubs Editor

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Sunderland AFC coverage 365 days a year.

This depth of coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription to our new sports-only package here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor