West Brom: £10m Josh Maja claim made as exit discussed | OneFootball

West Brom fan pundit Callum Burgess believes West Brom should stay patient to get the right fee for Josh Maja, should he depart The Hawthorns.

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…

It is set to be a summer of change at West Brom after their failure to get involved in the play-off mix.

A disastrous slip in form under Tony Mowbray saw the Baggies finish ninth, while the 61-year-old was relieved of his duties and replaced by interim boss James Morrison for the final two games of the season against Cardiff City and Luton Town.

With many players out of contract, a new manager needing to be appointed and financial concerns to still tread carefully over, this summer will be pivotal to ensuring Albion remain competitive and can compete for promotion back to the Premier League, with the Black Country outfit remaining outside of the top-flight for a fifth consecutive term.

With the Baggies still requiring shrewdness in the transfer market and needing funds to revamp the squad, there is concern among the fanbase of which players will be sacrificed to help this process.

Torbjorn Heggem was a fantastic addition into the Albion backline and could receive interest, while frontman Josh Maja was electric in the second tier up until his injury at the turn of the year, with his 12 goals this campaign still ranking him as the joint-eight highest goalscorer.

Maja’s absence was one of the deciding factors in West Brom’s promotion dreams slipping away, and with the Nigerian edging his way back to full fitness ahead of the new season, clubs are likely to be interested in taking him off Albion’s hands, as the former Fulham forward has just 12 months remaining on his current contract.

Football League World’s West Brom fan pundit has weighed in with his thoughts on how Albion should deal with Maja’s situation, and what price the club should hold out for in the upcoming transfer window.

West Brom told to demand £10 million for Josh Maja’s services

West Brom fan pundit Callum Burgess believes Albion should stand firm when receiving interest for Josh Maja this summer, outlining that the club should demand upwards of £10 million for the qualities he possesses.

Burgess said: “For me, if Josh Maja leaves, it has to be a top-flight club, whether it’s in England or in another country.

“He offers more than his goals; His link-up play is what makes him so good. The way he was able to link up our midfield and attack when he was in full flow last season was really good to watch, and he was definitely the best at linking up play in the Championship when he was fully fit.

“Despite having just 12 months left on his contract, we should still be looking at getting a figure of £10 million, as it’s going to be very difficult to replace him in the summer, no matter how much money you get.

“You’re not going to be able to sign someone proven at this level who's going to score the goals that Maja will for around that price, so it’s about signing a young striker and trying to develop them, such as Richard Kone for example, but you have to be looking at around that price point for Maja given his quality.”

There’s no doubt Josh Maja could lead a promotion-winning line, with his performances in the first half of the season at West Brom showing how effective he can be at this level.

His silky link-up play matched with his devastating eye for goal made him one of the best assets in the entire division, and it’s easy to see why so many people believe he would be a success if he made a return to the Premier League.

West Brom are in such a difficult position with his contract situation, as Maja is likely to depart the club on a free transfer if the club do not make it back to the Premier League next season.

So, it’s whether Albion risk the 26-year-old for another year, hope he can remain fit and propel them back to the promised land, or make a significant profit from his sale and recruit a younger striker who they can develop and build the team around for the long-term future.