Leaving Sunderland in rather controversial circumstances back when their Netflix series was one of the more popular streaming shows, Josh Maja has remained at Bordeaux ever since.
He has a contract there until 2023, which could be extended in the near future if all goes well, and is for the first time since his arrival a regular starter for the French club.
However, it took a couple of loans, first at Fulham and then with Stoke City, to get the game time needed to develop into who he is today, and he’s very happy with how it all went.
His first loan, at the Craven Cottage side, came in February 2021, and he eventually played 15 games for the club, scoring three goals.
It was the regular game time he needed, and he remembers both the spell at Fulham and the subsequent one at Stoke fondly.
Asked if it was hard to enter both clubs midway through a season, he replied: “Yes, but at Fulham like at Stoke, they did everything to integrate me as quickly as possible and I also did everything to rapidly adapt. It’s part of the rules of the game. You need to always be ready to be good when they call you up.”
In between his times at Stoke and Fulham, the 23-year-old has made 61 appearances for Bordeaux, scoring 17 goals and picking up six assists in all competitions.
