Josh Maja from Bordeaux to Stoke City: Is it a good move? Will he start? What does he offer?

The former Sunderland and Fulham striker sealed a loan with the Potters until the end of the season from the Ligue 1 club.

Maja, 23, has Premier League and Championship experience from his time in England and will be looking to make a similar impact with Stoke for the remainder of the season.

But is this the right move for Maja or for Stoke?

Here, we discuss the ins and outs of the deal and if it will favour Stoke’s chances for the rest of the season… 

This is a good move for Stoke City. Michael O’Neill’s side are getting a young, exciting striker who can nab goals.

The standard of Ligue 1 is still quite high across the league and Bordeaux are one of the better sides in the division.

While Maja hasn’t been a consistent starter, he has gained incredible experience playing in France and has improved as a player.

At 19, he was a key player for Sunderland in League One scoring 15 goals and he is now a much smarter and more experienced player four years on.

Maja will immediately threaten Jacob Brown and Steven Fletcher’s playing time. While he may get eased into the side initially, he will provide ample competition up front.

He is comfortable up front by himself or in a partnership which should suit O’Neill’s plans for the rest of the season. 

There is no reason why he won’t become a regular starter for the side, especially given he was playing a decent amount of minutes for a Premier League side not that long ago either.

He could also form quite the partnership with D’Margio Wright-Phillips, who has emerged in the last month as quite the exciting prospect at Stoke. 

Maja likes to operate in transition and will gobble up the space in behind a defence with his speed and tenacity.

He will constantly make runs looking for balls,