"Sooner the better" - West Brom urged to take contract action as Tottenham eye Solanke back-up | OneFootball

With 18 months on his contract, Josh Maja has reportedly received Premier League interest in the form of London giants Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

West Bromwich Albion forward Josh Maja has received lucrative Premier League interest in the form of London giants Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, according to Fichajes.

With 12 goals in 26 matches, the one-time Nigeria international sits second in the Championship's scoring charts, behind only Norwich's Borja Sainz.

At 26, Maja has previously tasted top-flight football during spells with both Bordeaux and Fulham, with form suggesting he is ready to revisit the summit of the English football pyramid.

While the previous purported interest from relegation threatened Ipswich Town and Southampton made seemingly perfect sense, Maja joining a 'top-six club' would represent a significant surprise to all parties.

"Maja would suit Ange-ball" says Baggies pundit

Speaking to Football League World, Baggies fan pundit Callum Burgess speculated that the unlikely nature of these rumours could suggest agentry dark arts are at play, though agreed that one of the clubs mentioned would benefit from Maja's talents more than most.

"With 18 months left on his contract, I do wonder if Josh Maja's agent is potentially playing a part in these sorts of stories starting to come out, especially when you remember that he's been linked with the likes of Bournemouth, Ipswich and Southampton in recent weeks, and he's been 'linked' with Chelsea and Spurs.

"I wouldn't say that a move to Chelsea would be very likely, I'd imagine that they're looking for a number nine to take over from Nicolas Jackson and be the main man, be the one who's going to be getting them 20 to 25 goals etc., so I don't think they'd be looking for another backup in that sense.

"Tottenham I could see as a reasonable link, because they'll be looking for a backup to Dominic Solanke and I think Maja would suit Ange-ball with his link-up play and ability to drop in deep, and he's also a very good finisher, as well as he's shown with his 12 goals this season.

"I don't see these two links coming to anything, but I think it would actually be a good choice for Tottenham as a back-up to Dominic Solanke. But yeah, I think the sooner that Albion are able to tie Josh Maja down, the better for all parties.

"He's a very important player for us, not just in his goals but, as I mentioned, his ability to link-up play. He's got the best link-up play for a striker in this division by a country mile, I believe. It's definitely best for our interests and the incoming West Bromwich Albion manager to have Josh Maja signed down to a new contract as soon as possible."

Regardless of the legitimacy of the interest, Burgess identifies the importance of extending Maja's contract at the Hawthorns, as his continued excellence could prove the key to play-off security.

Josh Maja could be the ideal Solanke back-up for Tottenham Hotspur

As Burgess states, there is a notable similarity in playstyle between both Solanke and Maja. While nobody is suggesting the two are equally talented, the Lewisham-born striker could be an apt like-for-like deputy to Spurs' number 19, who was a Championship player himself just three years ago.

Both naturally place onus on holding up the ball, bringing midfielders into play and running into unnocupied space, qualities that are imperative in Ange Postecoglu's deep-build-focused tactical set-up.

While perhaps technically inferior, Maja's physicality in ball retention near-mirrors that of Solanke, and with the Lilywhites still active in three different cup competitions, there could be significant game time up for grabs as and when the former Bournemouth man requires rest.

While it is difficult to know whether the forward would be happy playing second fiddle after becoming so talismanic at his current club, the inevitable financial incentive suggests that it could be a difficult proposition to turn down.