Following consecutive relegations, a positive atmosphere is finally returning to the Stadium of light. Sunderland sit 3rd in League 1 at the time of writing, and their young manager Jack Ross has brought exciting, attacking football to Wearside with fans suddenly hopeful for the future.
The Black Cat’s youngsters are also helping to put smiles back on faces, with local lad George Honeyman being given the captain’s armband. Perhaps their most impressive talent, however, 20-year-old striker Josh Maja is leading the way with his goalscoring contribution.
This player analysis will shine a light on the attributes drawing admiring glances from a host of top-flight clubs. With Cardiff City, among others, being linked to the player hoping that he can shoot them up the Premier League table, Maja is a player certain to be featuring in the EPL fixtures in the not too distant future.
Story so far
After spells at Crystal Palace, Fulham, and Manchester City, Josh Maja signed for Sunderland, a team sitting at the lower bottom of the Premier League Table, in 2015. Initially joining up with the U23 side, he was afforded limited opportunities in his first two seasons at the club.
During their ill-fated campaign in the Championship last term, the striker showed raw talent but failed to hold down a place in the team. His only goal came five minutes into his league debut, against former side Fulham.
In League 1, Maja has found his feet. His tally of 15 goals in 24 games has reportedly attracted interest from Crystal Palace, Everton, and Newcastle. Meanwhile, on the international front he is being lined up for a debut with the Nigerian senior side. Despite being born in London, he is expected to represent the country of his parents and has already trained with the Super Eagles.
Overperforming xG
Maja’s goalscoring record has been hugely impressive this season, ranking second in the race for the golden boot. His expected goals stands at just eight, meaning he is drastically overperforming. The standard assumption in such an instance is that the player is experiencing a purple patch, and the number will return to normal at some point. However, another explanation is that it’s an inherent part of his game to make goals out of nothing.
Only time will tell if this theory holds true, but there is some evidence to back it up. The centre forward regularly takes the ball in seemingly innocuous situations, before creating space for a shot and releasing the effort quickly.
The images below highlight his ability to engineer his own chances. He receives just inside a crowded penalty box with his back to goal. In these scenarios, most strikers would look to lay it back to a teammate or feed the wide areas.
Instead, Maja’s instinct is to find a way to get a shot on goal. He takes a touch to the side, before striking low and hard into the bottom corner. Had he held onto the ball any longer, three defenders were ready to close him down. His capacity to shift the ball quickly and set himself to shoot helps him to be effective with limited time and space. 
This type of goal has been a regular occurrence for the youngster this term. His positive mentality means he backs himself to score, provided he can create even the slightest opening to shoot through.
As stated, it remains to be seen if his xG numbers represent anything more than a good run of form. Furthermore, it will be interesting to see if he can apply the same approach to self-made opportunities at a higher level. Links to Celtic are interesting, and it may represent a more appropriate progression for his career.
Spatial awareness
Maja’s movement to find space in the attacking third is also noteworthy. He times his runs in behind well and has the pace to get on the end of through balls. He has the intelligence to identify space and arrive there at the last moment before receiving.
