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Ex-Sunderland striker set for Ligue 1 switch after rejecting Championship contract

· James Copley · 2026-08-03 · nguồn gốc

Ex-Sunderland and Fulham striker set for Ligue 1 switch after rejecting Championship contract Josh Maja is set to join Le Havre on a free transfer after turning down a new West Brom contract Former Sunderland striker Josh Maja is reportedly set to join Ligue 1 side Le Havre following his departure from West Bromwich Albion. According to the Express & Star, Maja has agreed to return to France on a free transfer after rejecting the offer of a new contract at The Hawthorns. The 27-year-old is expected to sign a two-year deal containing an option for a further season. West Brom had been keen to retain the Nigeria international, with head coach James Morrison confirming that fresh terms had been offered in May. Maja instead opted to leave after three injury-disrupted years with the Championship club. The striker joined Albion from Bordeaux in 2023 and scored 19 goals across 81 appearances. His second campaign proved his most productive as he finished as the club’s leading scorer with 12 goals, despite missing the entire second half of the season through injury. Maja scored three times in his final nine appearances last term, finding the net against Wrexham, Watford and Preston as West Brom collected seven points from those fixtures. The forward began his professional career at Sunderland after progressing through the club’s academy. He scored 17 goals during the first half of the Black Cats’ 2018-19 League One campaign before completing a controversial January move to Bordeaux. Maja later returned to England during a loan spell with Fulham, scoring three Premier League goals, before heading back to France. He will now join a Le Havre side managed by former Middlesbrough midfielder Didier Digard after they finished 14th in Ligue 1 last season.