Josh Maja has revealed one short conversation with Baggies boss Carlos Corberán was all he needed to be convinced to join the Spaniard’s squad.
The 24-year-old Nigerian striker penned a three-year deal at The Hawthorns on Tuesday after leaving French club Bordeaux at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.
Maja spent the last four-and-a-half years in the south of France having previously represented Sunderland, with loan spells to Fulham and Stoke City in 2021 and 2022 respectively also forming part of his senior career C.V.
The striker was incredibly impressed by Corberán’s vision and mentality when speaking before making the switch to B71, and Maja says he’s excited to see just how much he can improve under Albion’s head coach.
Supporters can watch the full WBA TV interview below.
Josh said: “It was certainly a fun experience playing in France. It’s completely different to the United Kingdom in terms of style and tempo, but I feel like I learnt a lot.
“Last year was probably the best year of my career in terms of consistency, goals and game time, so yeah, I would say it was a great experience overall.
“However, I felt like I needed a fresh start just because I had been away from the United Kingdom for a while. I spent four-and-a-half years in France.
“We knew Albion were one of the clubs interested in me and our ambitions seemed to match quite well.
“The conversation I had with Carlos Corberán was short. I’ve only spoken to him once, but that’s probably all I needed.
“I got a really good energy from him. He’s a serious coach with intense ideas and an intense mentality which is something that matches up with me and my values.
“He’s a football head, which I am as well.
“I’m hoping to learn a lot from him and to perform well. I’ve heard a lot of great things from team-mates from the past who have said good things about him.
“It’s exciting to be here and I’m looking forward to working with him.”
Maja heads to The Hawthorns off the back of an impressive term with Bordeaux in Ligue 2.
The forward scored 16 times in 38 appearances and was the division’s fourth most prolific marksman.
And Josh says he wants to maintain his goalscoring momentum at Albion, while also showcasing his best attributes in front of the club’s supporters.
He said: “I’d say one of my main attributes is scoring goals. I’d say that’s one of my biggest strengths.
“I’m also a guy who can link the play and create opportunities for my team-mates.
“I’m someone that is hardworking, which is something I’ve had in me since I was really young. I’ve used that attribute all my life and I’d like to think it’s one of the main factors in why my career is where it is now.
“You’re going to get a lot of energy, a lot of goals, a lot of assists and an all-round performance from me.
“I’m not just a guy that brings goals, I want to be able to perform well every game, support my team-mates in the best ways possible and do what my coaches have asked of me.
“I want to make the fans proud.
“Scoring goals is always fun and winning games is always fun. I’m hoping to do plenty of that this year with Albion.”
