West Brom must hold their nerve as Chelsea and Spurs weigh up Baggies transfer | OneFootball

It’s vital the Baggies keep hold of top scorer Josh Maja, who is key to a promotion push at The Hawthorns.

West Brom forward Josh Maja has been vital to the Baggies’ push for a play-off place so far this season.

The Nigerian international has impressed the Albion faithful by netting 12 times so far this term and is the second-highest goalscorer in the division behind Norwich City’s Borja Sainz, at the time of writing.

While Maja has been getting in on the act in front of goal, his deep runs and silky link-up play have been just as valuable to helping Albion quickly transition from defence into attack, while the frontman is usually in the right place to finish off a devastating move with service provided from both Mikey Johnston and Tom Fellows on the flanks.

The London-born forward has shown all the attributes of a Premier League player in waiting, and the Baggies will be hopeful his goalscoring prowess will see him achieve that goal while in a blue and white shirt.

With such a presence provided in attack and a key focal point up front, Maja’s impressive run of form hasn’t gone unnoticed, with concern arising that he may make a switch away from the Black Country during the January transfer window.

This will undoubtedly prove to be a huge dent to the Baggies’ promotion hopes if Maja was to depart, but the club must stand firm under the new ownership and outline their ambition of a return to the top flight by keeping hold of the 26-year-old beyond January.

Emerging Premier League interest in Josh Maja

In a report made by Fichajes in Spain, Premier League duo Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are both “seriously considering” a move for the West Brom's Josh Maja.

The same outlet has reported Albion value their forward at £15 million, which is a considerable figure banded about for a second tier player, although the price tag is not set to be an issue for both sides.

However, the Baggies are within their right to hold out for such a high-value bid, with the former Sunderland man still having 18 months left on his contract and possessing so much quality at the top end of the pitch.

This is not the first time Albion have had interest in some of their top talent, with Spanish side Celta Vigo reportedly interested in securing Maja’s services earlier this season to replace the experienced Iago Aspas, while Premier League sides Everton and Crystal Palace have also eyed up moves for talented winger Tom Fellows, so the Baggies will have to show some backbone and not give in to some of the leading top flight teams.

Potential moves to Chelsea and Spurs are sure to get Maja’s head turning slightly over what he could achieve in making the move, but Albion must do all they can to convince him of the project in the Black Country and over their plans to be a competitive Premier League side in years to come.

Former Bordeaux striker Maja is developing into a special player at this level for Albion, and it is unlikely the club will find such a similar replacement in the short time remaining in January.

Meanwhile, deputy striker Devante Cole has failed to convince supporters that he could be an adequate replacement, while Daryl Dike’s fitness simply isn’t reliable enough as he closes in on a return from a long-term Achilles problem.

The best course of action West Brom should take is to rebuff any offers for Maja in order to allow him to see the rest of the season through, and then proceed to review the situation next summer when he enters the final year of his contract.