Everything Josh Maja said as emotional West Brom farewell sent

Josh Maja has officially waved goodbye to West Bromwich Albion.

West Brom had confirmed in their official retained list that they were in talks with Maja after offering him a new contract.

The 27-year-old joined Albion in the summer of 2023 on a free transfer from French side Bordeaux.

Maja would make 81 competitive appearances for West Brom and scoring 19 goals, with 12 of those coming in the 2024-25 season.

He's been a popular figure amongst The Hawthorns faithful, but he's also frustrated as well, with his full goalscoring potential never truly reached in B71.

And so, as he heads for pastures new and back to France, Maja has penned a goodbye message to West Brom.

How Josh Maja feels about having represented West Brom

Maja is returning to a league and country that he's very familiar with: France's Ligue 1.

Indeed, he's signed a one-year contract with Le Havre with the option of a further 12 months, with his new side having been in Ligue 1 for the last three seasons now.

He's played at this level with Bordeaux previously, and now looks to enjoy the remaining prime years of his career scoring goals in a top European league.

But before he gets started with that mission, Maja has taken to his Instagram account to mark his time at West Brom, and pay tribute to everyone connected with Albion for the last three years of his career.

"After three years at West Brom, the time has come to say goodbye," he said.

"A huge thank you to everyone at the club, players, staff and everyone behind the scenes. A special shoutout to the fans, your support through the high and lows was incredible and I’ll always be grateful.

"It was a privilege to wear this badge, the memories will last forever. I wish everyone associated with the club all the best. Once a Baggie, always a Baggie."

So, will Maja be a starting player at Le Havre, and how much pressure is he going to be under there to hit the ground running?

Why Maja is now Le Havre's main man in attack

Having narrowly avoided relegation from Ligue 1 over the last three seasons, Le Havre can't afford to get their recruitment wrong.

They suffered a significant blow earlier this summer, when their top goalscorer from last season Issa Soumare (eight) left to join Rennes.

As a result, that's now left manager Didier Digard without many proven nor experienced centre-forwards, and so Maja's arrival is a big capture for them.

Behind Soumare, Le Havre's second-highest goalscorer in 2025-26 was Rassoul Ndiaye with four, which shows just how vital it is to them that Maja can find his scoring boots.

If not, and the ex-West Brom star has a poor campaign, he could well be the difference between Le Havre staying in Ligue 1 for another year or whether they drop back into Ligue 2.