West Bromwich Albion head coach Tony Mowbray has opened up on his failed attempt to sign Super Eagles striker Josh Maja while he was in charge of EFL Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers, Soccernet.football reports.
Mowbray, who only took charge at the Hawthorns this year, was manager of Blackburn between 2017 and 2022. During this period, Maja plied his trade with the likes of Sunderland and French Ligue 1 club Bordeaux.
Maja, now on the books at West Brom, has developed into one of the best strikers in the division. The 26-year-old notched 12 goals and two assists in 26 EFL Championship matches before suffering a calf injury last month.
Related Post
With Maja’s talents finally at Mowbray’s disposal, the new Baggies could not hide his excitement and anticipation at the opportunity to work with the Nigeria international.
“I haven’t sat down with him for a one on one yet, but I do know Josh because we had him in the building at Blackburn Rovers not too many years ago, trying to sign him,” Mowbray said as quoted by Birmingham Live.
“It didn’t happen, but he’s a nice kid. I watched some pundits picking their EFL team of the year and he got picked, which shows he’s had a really good season.
“I’m looking forward to working with him really. We selected him at Blackburn because we felt he was a player who could help and we have inherited him at this club.
“I’m looking forward to working with him on the grass and the type of player he is – he likes to come to the ball, technically good but he gets in the box and scores goals.”
Nevertheless, Mowbray is in no hurry to reintegrate the Nigeria international into the squad, following his operation. According to current expectations, Maja will return to action in mid-April.
