Ryan Mason cannot ignore Josh Maja signs any longer as eye-catching West Brom stat emerges
Josh Maja’s lack of football has been one of the major talking points at West Brom in recent weeks.
The striker ended the 2024-25 campaign as the Baggies’ top scorer, despite missing the final 20 league games of the season, but he has been used sparingly by Ryan Mason so far this term.
Maja has started just once for West Brom in the league so far, and has been back close to full fitness in recent weeks after a lengthy injury lay-off.
Frustrations have set in at The Hawthorns of late after a bright start, and the 26-year-old’s lack of football is a heartfelt issue among the fans.
Josh Maja’s xG per 90 doubles that of his closest teammate
Mason spoke about Maja building confidence after his goal in the recent win over Norwich, only to then bench him again for the 3-0 hammering at Millwall on Saturday.
The 1-0 victory at Carrow Road was the frontman’s first start for nine months, and while it is important to ensure he doesn’t break down and suffer a recurrence of his previous injury, he is surely far too important to be used as a squad player.
- Maja notched 12 league goals from 26 games last term
- He started every single league game until his injury in early January
- The striker outperformed his xG by over two goals last season
The Black Country outfit are struggling for goals at the moment, and Mason is opting to keep his most natural goalscorer on the fringes of the matchday squad.
However, the boss surely cannot continue to ignore the signs that point towards the need for Maja to start week in, week out for his side.
Maja’s xG of 0.75 per 90 minutes is the highest of anyone in the West Brom squad at the moment, according to Albion Analysis via their X account.
His tally is over double that of his closest teammate Aune Heggebo, which highlights the unprecedented ability that the former Sunderland marksman has to sniff out opportunities in and around the box.
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Josh Maja holds the key to West Brom’s promotion hopes
Maja played a vital role for West Brom last season, and they would surely have fancied their chances of finishing in the play-offs had he not picked up his injury.
The frontman will be similarly integral this time around, and if they can get him firing again, then Albion undoubtedly have one of the Championship’s finest goalscorers.
Mason’s men are struggling to create clear-cut opportunities of late, which means that anything that does fall for them simply has to be out away.
With that in mind, Maja’s prowess in front of goal means that he simply has to play.
Mason’s persistent changes at the top of the pitch are preventing Albion from getting into a rhythm with their attacking play, and it could seriously harm their campaign if it continues.
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