West Bromwich Albion's season would end ultimately in a disappointing fashion in the Championship playoffs, bowing out as 3-1 losers over two legs as Southampton ran rampant in attack back at St. Mary's after a valiant Baggies display in the first stalemate contest.
Carlos Corberan would be left cursing his lack of potent attacking options in the second match-up on the South Coast, with Jed Wallace starting as the lone striker for the goal-shy visitors despite being more of a natural winger as a wasteful Brandon Thomas-Asante was benched by the Spaniard.
A new striker could well be a priority position for the West Midlands outfit in the summer, therefore, which could result in an injury-prone face being given the boot with his absence from the playoffs being felt by being sidelined yet again.
Josh Maja's time at West Brom
Joining last summer on a free transfer from former employers FC Girondins de Bordeaux, there was plenty expected of Josh Maja on his arrival having set the EFL alight previously with Sunderland.
Maja showed his clinical edge in front of goal for the Wearsiders as a youngster which ended up catching the eye of the Ligue 1 side, bagging 17 goals in a Sunderland strip from 49 games, whilst also firing in three strikes for Fulham in a loan switch away from Bordeaux all the way up in the Premier League.
The warning signs should have been there for the Baggies, however, that Maja could potentially flop owing to recurring bad luck with injuries which saw him frequent the Bordeaux treatment room over and over again.
Sidelined for the majority of 2024 with an ankle ligament issue, the 25-year-old has only managed to find the back of the net once for Corberan's men when fit from a mere 12 first-team games.
Injury
Days missed
Games missed
Back injury
134
18
Calf strain
13
1
Torn knee ligaments
40
5
Sourced by Transfermarkt
There could be a temptation to try and sell on Maja this summer as a result, with his valuation, according to Football Transfers, sitting at a hefty £1.6m despite large patches of no football.
Maja's high wage is also a stumbling block as to why West Brom will want to part ways, with the ex-Sunderland man earning more than both Alex Palmer and Conor Townsend – according to Capology – who were both crucial for the Baggies in getting into the play-offs.
Maja's wage at West Brom
Maja managed to rake in a handsome £17k-per-week pay packet this season even with his minutes not being regular, costing the failed play-off side £884k in wage costs alone over a full year.
Palmer and Townsend both earn a lesser £10.9k and £11.5k-per-week respectively, all whilst amassing a ridiculous 94 appearances between them under Corberan this season.
Without Palmer's heroics in the first leg, denying Ross Stewart by instinctively saving the deflected effort above, West Brom would have had even more of a mountain to climb on the South Coast with the reliable shot-stopper ensuring his side kept a clean sheet at the very least.
Townsend was equally important in the games building up to the playoffs, assisting Darnell Furlong's strike on the final day of the season to ensure the Baggies made it into the top six with a 3-0 drubbing of Preston North End.
Yet, both still earn less than Maja and could be pushing for a pay increase to stay put amidst the club's failure to push through into the Premier League.
The ex-Sunderland striker could be offloaded as a result, with West Brom putting down this free transfer capture as a dud buy.
