Josh Maja did himself no favours in West Brom win over Watford as contract up in the air
Josh Maja faces a battle to earn a new contract at West Bromwich Albion.
The Nigerian striker’s current deal expires in the summer, and there have been no suggestions of talks being on the table at the moment.
He started the 3-0 win over Watford on 21 April but was taken off in the 82nd minute after having minimal contributions to the result.
He did himself no favours with his showing in the contest, and surely has not worked his way towards fresh terms.
West Brom may well decide to move on from Maja at the end of the season.
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How did Maja perform in West Brom win vs Watford?
Daryl Dike enhanced his West Brom extension chances, but his strike partner in the contest definitely did not.
While the American made a huge impact, Maja could not do the same, taking three shots, with only one on target, per Sofascore.
He made just one key pass, but did provide solid link-up play, completing 74 per cent of his passes in the contest.
| Maja’s stats vs Watford | |
| Shots (on target) | 3 (1) |
| Key passes | 1 |
| Pass accuracy | 74% |
| Touches (lost possession) | 33 (10) |
| Interceptions | 2 |
| Recoveries | 4 |
Maja took a total of 33 touches but lost possession 10 times, while making 12 carries for a total distance of 68.5m.
He recorded two interceptions, one block and four recoveries as he helped out defensively, but it is concerning that those numbers are arguably better than his attacking ones.
Can West Brom afford to lose Maja?
The Baggies probably can afford to move from Maja, as they have Aune Heggebo and could choose to extend Dike.
They would need to add another striker to their rotation for depth for the new season, but that may work out to be the better option than retaining the former Sunderland man.
| West Brom’s striking options | Heggebo | Dike | Maja |
| Matches | 46 | 23 | 41 |
| Goals | 10 | 2 | 6 |
| Assists | 4 | 1 | 1 |
James Morrison has some tough decisions to make, and he may well believe that Maja has not shown enough in his time in charge, especially after his dismal showing against the Hornets.
The Nigeria forward has a small amount of time to turn it around, and potentially change the manager’s mind, but he is running out of chances to secure his future at The Hawthorns.
If he does not perform against Ipswich Town or Sheffield Wednesday, Albion’s decision will surely be an easy one, and an exit will be on the cards.
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