Josh Oluwaseun Maja Can He Prove Doubters Wrong?
With many Ligue 1 top clubs and some Premier League teams seeking his signature, Josh Maja shocked the footballing world by putting pen to papers for English Championship side, West Brom, a move seen by many as retrogressive considering his form last season and bigger teams craving for the Super Eagles forward. For the Baggies however, the Nigerian is seen as the missing link in their promotion quest. How well this pans out remains to be seen
west Bromwich Albion beat Sheffield Wednesday to Rangers target, Josh Maja, as the Super Eagles forward completed his medicals on Monday at the Albion’s training ground in Walsall.
The Baggies have had to shed players so far this summer thanks to the financial worries, including sending Karlan Grant on loan to Cardiff City, and have injury worries in attack with Daryl Dike and Grady Diangana.
“But Carlos Corberan is set to be boosted by the arrival of Maja who left Bordeaux as a free agent this summer, with the French side interested in keeping him, and Rangers also linked during the window.
Reporting via Twitter on Tuesday morning, Cox wrote: “Albion closing in on free transfer Josh Maja. Excitement at Hawthorns at netting long-term target, who Bordeaux wanted to keep and also had interest from Boro and Sheff Wednesday.
Off the back of the departures that have already happened this summer, and with question marks over all three senior goalkeepers currently, this is excellent news for Baggies fans.
It was starting to become a common occurrence that West Brom were ending up disappointed in the transfer pursuits they were engaged in, such as Ethan Ampadu and Dexter Lembikisa, so to come out on top here for a sought-after target is very encouraging.
Maja’s situation was complicated by an investigation in the Bordeaux’s final game of the season in Ligue 2, after the promotion decider was abandoned when a fan attacked a player.”
It meant the long-term Baggies target’s status was unclear for some time, as failure to get back into the French top tier would allow him to leave for nothing, but having been confirmed as a free agent the club have swooped in to take advantage.
With only Brandon Thomas-Asante fit as a central striker in light of Dike’s woeful injury luck at The Hawthorns it is a key question answered just in time for the start of the new season.
Whether the former Sunderland and Fulham man will be up to speed straight away is probably a fair question, but if he is in within the next couple of days, he should stand a chance of featuring in some capacity on today against Blackburn.
The Super Eagles striker’s future has been in the balance in recent weeks, but he has now joined a new club.
Maja left Ligue 2 side Bordeaux last season after the expiration of his contract at the club. He scored 16 goals in 38 appearances for Bordeaux as they narrowly missed out on Ligue 1 promotion.
Maja has been the subject of numerous transfer talks this summer as Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday, and Rangers were linked with the 24-year-old attacker.
However, his future has now been settled, as West Brom have now confirmed that they have completed the signing of the Nigeria striker on a three-year deal.
Maja will wear the number 9 jersey at the club and will look to play an important role as the Baggies push for Premier League promotion next season.
The 24-year-old has had previous spells in England with Fulham, Sunderland and Stoke City. West Brom will be the Fourth English club that he will play for.
The former Sunderland frontman, who burst into life at the Stadium of Light and earned a move to Bordeaux as a 20-year-old, has been a free agent since departing the Ligue 2 outfit this summer.
Albion beat off Championship interest from Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday as well as from Bordeaux, who were keen to retain Maja’s services, to land his signature and the presence of head coach Corberan was central to that.
“The club has been tracking Josh for some time and we are really pleased he is joining us,” said Albion head of football operations Ian Pearce.
“We have again had to be patient, but Josh is the striker we wanted, and his desire to play for Carlos helped us beat off significant competition from a number of other clubs.”
Maja scored 16 times, the fourth-highest scorer, in the French second tier last term as Bordeaux just missed out on a return to Ligue 1. He was involved in 22 goal in 34 matches.
Head coach Corberan insists Maja, who had loan spells away from France with Fulham and Stoke, arrives with “a big desire to succeed.”
The Spaniard explained how he sees Maja as a frontman capable of working alongside Brandon Thomas-Asante – the club’s sole previous striker – or up front in a lone role.
“I am happy to have Josh here at the club. It was an important aim of ours to reinforce this position during the summer. We have done so with a player who has a big desire to succeed,” Corberan said
“Josh has international and Premier League experience and his skills compliment Brandon Thomas-Asante in a way which means they can play together or on their own. He drops deep to build attacks and also has good instincts in the box.
“Josh has been working hard while he has been a free agent this summer but will still need some time with our staff to make sure he is ready to face the challenge of games. We will work with him to manage this process.”
Maja will hope this recent form bodes well for a new challenge in the Black Country, where Josh will look to embrace the responsibility of leading the line for the Baggies
