West Bromwich Albion signed South London-born striker Josh Maja as a free agent in the summer on a three-year contract after declining a contract extension with French second-tier club Girondins de Bordeaux, according to the BBC.
The striker made his competitive debut for West Brom in the club’s first league victory of the season. He came on as a substitute for 12 minutes in a 3-2 victory over Swansea City at The Hawthorns.
Maja participated in the Baggies’ next four Championship matches before suffering an ankle injury that sidelined him for the following ten league games. Three games into his return, he scored his first goal for the club, a late equaliser against Leicester City.
The Nigerian international was given a start following his performance in the previous game, but he only lasted 36 minutes against former club Sunderland before being taken off due to another ankle injury incurred from a Dan Ballard tackle.
The 25-year-old missed the following 21 games, although he has recently returned to the bench, appearing briefly in two of the Baggies’ past three games.
With West Brom looking like they’ll make the play-offs, Maja’s return couldn’t have come at a better time.
He may have the opportunity to become a hero for the West Midlands club and help them reach the Premier League.
Josh Maja has a wealth of top-level football experience. He has made 15 Premier League appearances, scoring three goals, and 47 French Ligue 1 appearances, scoring nine goals.
It was in his last season with Bordeaux in French Ligue 2 that the striker scored the most goals of any season in his career to date and finished as the league’s fourth top scorer. He scored 16 goals and had six assists in 38 appearances.
The 25-year-old also has international football experience. He made his Nigeria debut in a 2-2 friendly tie against Ukraine in September 2019, coming on as a substitute for Napoli’s title-winning striker Victor Osimhen.
Josh Maja’s departure from Sunderland was important to one episode of the controversial Netflix documentary series ‘Sunderland ‘Til I Die’.
It showed the forward declining a new contract offer from his first professional club before transferring to Bordeaux in January 2019, where he went on to enjoy great success.
Josh Maja has delighted many fans in England and France with his goal-scoring prowess, and West Brom have yet to see the best of their brilliant Nigerian striker.
Maja will need to recuperate from his injury and complete a full pre-season, and his return to first-team play will make him feel like a fresh summer signing at the Hawthorns.
