The West Brom player who must hate transfer breakthrough with Chelsea and Falkirk | OneFootball

West Brom's progression in their deals for Jimmy-Jay Morgan and Barney Stewart surely spells the end of Josh Maja's time at the club

The transfer window has only officially been open for a matter of days, but West Brom are already making some eye-catching moves at the top end of the pitch.

The Baggies' main struggles throughout a season filled with setbacks last year were their inability to find the back of the net consistently. Only four teams in the Championship scored fewer than West Brom's 48.

Meanwhile, the underlying numbers had James Morrison's side among the best defensive outfits in the division, conceding the third-fewest expected goals and the fewest shots on target, per Opta. Plus, a run of seven clean sheets in eight games under Morrison to secure survival outlined their defensive capabilities.

The dealings at the Hawthorns in the early stages of the transfer window have provided encouragement that their attacking output will be much improved in 2026/27, though, with seven-figure fees mooted for the arrivals of Jimmy-Jay Morgan and Barney Stewart.

Morgan is highly rated out of the Chelsea academy and scored 12 times in 34 League One outings at Peterborough United last season.

And Stewart is regarded as one of the top attacking prospects in Scotland, netting 18 times in 33 games in all competitions, including eight in 14 SPL games at Falkirk, in his first full year as a professional player.

West Brom transfer updates may spell the end of Josh Maja's time at West Brom

Action Images

With new head coach James Morrison opting to play a 4-4-2 formation during his successful time as interim boss towards the end of the campaign, he'll likely stick with his principles going into next year, which will mean that plenty of depth up top is needed.

However, the transfer news out of the Hawthorns recently does indicate a big refresh in the striker department as the Baggies target young, exciting prospects to replace arguably more experienced frontmen.

Daryl Dike has already been confirmed to be departing the club when his contract expires at the end of the month, and while the retained list detailed that Josh Maja had been offered fresh terms, surely these new arrivals spell the end of the 27-year-old's time at the Hawthorns, too.

Maja came into this past season on a real wave of momentum following a 12-goal campaign in just 26 outings in 2024/25, but he struggled for games under both Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsay. He started just 15 league games, and eight of those came in the 12 that Morrison took charge of at the end of the year.

Three of his four league goals this past year came under the Scotsman, too, and there'd have been some optimism that the 27-year-old could be a key player at the top of the pitch heading into 2026/27.

However, while depth will be needed if Morrison opts for two up top again next season, the investment made in the two young strikers doesn't indicate that they'll be backup options, and that would leave Maja riding the bench once more, which wouldn't be ideal as he enters the traditional prime years of his career.

Josh Maja still has plenty to prove up front in the Championship - he may have to do that elsewhere

Action Images

It's been a really frustrating three years for Maja at West Brom following his move from Bordeaux in 2023 on the back of a campaign where he netted 16 and assisted a further six times in the French second tier.

Injuries in his first two seasons and being unfavoured in the third have stopped the Nigerian from making real strides towards being a top frontman in the Championship, and the news surrounding the new striker arrivals won't give him much confidence that he'll be afforded time to do so next season, either.

Maja clearly still has a lot to prove in the second tier and has the qualities to be a 15-goal striker or more if he can stay injury-free and remain in first-team plans.

If he does choose to decline the offer on the table for him at the Hawthorns, he definitely won't be short of suitors in the division who will believe that they can provide the environment to help the 27-year-old have a career year in front of goal in the Championship.

Reports do state that West Brom are "hopeful"