"A vital asset" - West Brom recruit dubbed one of Championship's best as summer deal praised | OneFootball

FLW's West Brom fan pundit has identified which player's performances this season have surprised him most

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

West Brom have made a strong start to the new Championship campaign and find themselves in the mix for promotion to the Premier League.

Carlos Corberan has earned a lot of praise for the work he has done with the Baggies over the last two years.

Albion will be hoping to maintain this form and push for a place back in the top flight for next season, having last competed in the first division in 2021.

West Brom made it into the play-offs last year but were unable to overcome Southampton in their semi-final clash.

Corberan’s side have been boosted by a number of players stepping up over the summer and performing well in the opening weeks of this new campaign.

Josh Maja surprise claim

When asked which player at the club’s performances have surprised the most this season, good or bad, FLW’s West Brom fan pundit highlighted the positive impact of Josh Maja.

He has praised the forward’s all-round game, suggesting the 25-year-old is one of the best forwards in the entire division.

“Coming into the season, there were some doubts about where Albion’s main source of goals would be coming from,” Burgess told Football League World.

“But with his early season form, Josh Maja shows that he’s probably been up there as one of the most complete strikers in the division, as well as having seven goals to his name so far.

“While he’s not scored in the last few games, his importance, whether it’s through chance creation or like we saw earlier in the season through his action against QPR, his ability to take chances quickly has shown what a vital asset he can be to the team.

“Especially with Dike still coming back from injury, and hopefully he’ll be back soon.

“But without Josh Maja it would be looking like [Albion are in] a much more difficult place.

“Despite the faltering form of the team, I don’t think there can be any complaints about what he’s achieved so far this season, what with his scoring goals, as well as his contribution to creating chances.”

Josh Maja’s importance to West Brom

Maja has scored seven goals from 12 appearances in the Championship so far this season, as well as providing one assist (all stats from Fbref).

Only Norwich City’s Borja Sainz has scored more goals this season, with a tally of 10.

Maja’s last goal came in September in the team’s 3-2 loss to Sheffield Wednesday, meaning he’s not gone five appearances without hitting the back of the net, which will be a concern for Corberan.

West Brom are currently fourth in the Championship table, with their next game coming against Luton Town on 1 November.

Maja’s form has been strong but goal drought is a concern

Maja has made a great start to the season, and his early goalscoring run was really encouraging for West Brom’s promotion aspirations.

His goal drought over the last five games is a bit of a concern, and Corberan will be hoping that the striker gets back to his scoring ways quickly.

However, the return of Dike could help alleviate this issue as the American should inject some healthy competition into the battle to lead the line.

Having both of them staying fit and firing this season will be key to the team earning another top six finish this season.