Josh Maja appeared to have kicked off his West Brom career against Huddersfield, only for Lee Nicholls to save his 96th-minute shot and ensure he went into the international break without a Baggies goal.
Neil Warnock’s team promptly countered, with Jack Rudoni scoring the winner on Saturday (2 September), and the manner of the defeat left Carlos Corberan ripping his hair out on the sidelines.
Following the game, the Baggies manager lamented the wasted opportunity, telling the Express and Star (2 September): “We could have won the game, and after they had the opportunity, because we didn’t manage well not just the chance but also the counter-attack.”
Maja was one of only three signings at the Hawthorns this summer, joining Jeremy Sarmiento and Pipa, with Corberan’s side limited to loan deals and free agents due to a lack of funding. However, Maja was thought to be a bit of a steal to land without paying a transfer fee.
So far, the 24-year-old has only made substitute appearances as he works his way back into shape. He has played 67 minutes in four cameos and has never been on the pitch for more than 25 minutes as he tries to find his footing.
What is concerning is that in those four meetings, Maja has only had one shot, which was a missed opportunity at the Hawthorns against Arsenal.
The Nigerian international is very than capable of being a legitimate scorer; he found the net 16 times in Ligue 2 with Bordeaux last season, but seven of those came from penalties, with only nine coming from open play.
Despite his respectable goal return in France, Maja missed 16 huge chances as Bordeaux finished third in the French second division (Fotmob), indicating that he isn’t always the most consistent finisher under duress.
There aren’t many attacking options at the Hawthorns right now, with Brandon Thomas-Asante typically trusted to lead the line, while Jed Wallace is a good deputy at times despite not being a reliable goal scorer.
Last season, Thomas-Asante only managed seven goals in 33 appearances for West Brom, while Wallace only managed six, so Maja was brought in with the intention of finally providing the goals that could turn the Baggies into a competitive play-off team.
Nigeria play during the international break, but Maja would be better served staying with the Baggies to improve his fitness in the hope of rediscovering the goal-scoring threat that made him such a success in Ligue 2 last season.
With luck, with
