West Brom are enjoying a successful season in the Championship.
The Baggies find themselves fifth in the English second tier with two games to go and a play-off place is all but guaranteed.
This despite losing their last two games, first to Sunderland and then to league leaders Leicester City on Saturday.
Carlos Corberan‘s side were unfortunate to lose 2-1 against the Foxes given they had three efforts cleared off the line before Jed Wallace eventually scored a consolation goal playing as a striker.
Even with these defeats, West Brom have accumulated an impressive 72 points from 44 games and will be determined to finish the season strong.
Given the tumultuous ownership situation of the club and the financial issues, it is something of a miracle that West Brom are in with a real chance of promotion to the Premier League this season.
Due to the difficulties financially, The Baggies only made one permanent transfer last summer, with Josh Maja joining on a free.
Carlos Corberan impressed by Josh Maja since first conversation
Unfortunately, Maja has seen his time at the club hampered by injuries since arriving.
The striker – who previously plied his trade at French club Bordeaux – has therefore only managed to make one start in a frustrating campaign.
That was against Sunderland on 9th December, with Maja making it to the 36th-minute before being forced to withdraw through injury.
Whilst Corberan would have loved to have a fully fit Maja to lead the line this season, he will be confident that the 25-year-old will be a success at The Hawthorns due to the impression the ex-Sunderland striker made when first meeting his new boss.
Speaking on the first meeting, Corberan revealed: “When we received him, the first feeling I had in my first conversations was he was a very mature lad, very honest with himself, with his strengths and weaknesses, with an amazing mentality to work and improve and an amazing desire to be the best he can be.”
Maja played the last eight minutes of the Leicester defeat and will hope to build up his fitness in the last two games of the regular Championship season in order to be ready to help his team in the play-offs.
Maja has used injury to improve in other areas
After his contract with French Ligue 2 side Bordeaux came to an end last summer, Maja would have seen a move to West Brom as a chance to revive his career.
The centre-forward did manage 16 goals in France’s second tier last season according to Transfermarkt but, having scored 15 League One goals as a 20-year-old five years ago, his career has perhaps not yet panned out as he would have hoped.
With plenty of time to reflect this season, Maja has spent his time sidelined wisely according to his manager.
Corberan spoke on this, as he said: “We have tried to use this injury, to work in the latter part of the injury, on things that maybe when you are playing you cannot work on, things he needed to physically improve that he could work on.
“We have tried to use his injury to improve him as a player without the game exposure.”
Both Maja and West Brom’s primary concern is the play-offs, however after that a full pre-season could allow them to see the best of the striker next season.