West Bromwich Albion supporters would have been feeling restless, when you consider the club’s inactivity in the transfer market would have worried fans, alongside the fact a successor to Carlos Corberan still hadn’t been found.
They have now found their desired man in Tony Mowbray however, who is back at the helm on a two and a half year contract, having previously been at the helm of the West Midlands club towards the beginning of his managerial career.
He will now will have to deal without Josh Maja’s expertise for a little while, unfortunately, as he navigates his return to management.
Josh Maja's injury setback
Star-man Maja now finds himself sidelined for a number of weeks with a leg injury which will require surgery, as was confirmed by West Brom’s official club website.
That is a big blow for West Brom moving forward, considering the attacker was in the form of his life for the promotion hopefuls before this unwanted setback occurred, with the ex-Sunderland striker powering home 12 league strikes from 26 appearances.
Now, the Baggies really lack a focal point up top, with Karlan Grant ranking as his team’s second top scorer this season in the league with an inferior six, whilst the only fit out-and-out striker at the club now is Devante Cole who has just 109 minutes of action next to his name in the Championship for 2024/25.
Therefore, a major priority for Mowbray now will be to bring in a game-changing attacker to soften the immense blow of Maja being sidelined, and he could well have an exact name in his head already that can come in and make an almighty difference.
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The Maja replacement West Brom should look at signing
The player in question here is Ben Brereton Diaz who really shone under Mowbray’s guidance when the pair were together at Blackburn Rovers.
With the Chilean subject of interest from fellow Championship outfit Sheffield United, it could well be a smart swoop on the end of the Baggies to test Southampton’s resolve with a loan bid of their own. Ineed, the ex-Blackburn number 22 would surely be delighted at the prospect of reconnecting with his old manager.
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As can be seen, Mowbray ended up getting the very best out of the Saints flop by the time he bowed out from the Riversiders, with his final campaign at the helm seeing Brereton Diaz fire home a blistering 22 strikes in the league from 37 contests.
The veteran manager’s patience paid off in the end after he had once labelled the 25-year-old as “extraordinary” even when the goals weren’t regularly flowing. Now, Mowbray’s familiar arm around the shoulder could perhaps reawaken a beast if Brereton Diaz was to don a West Brom strip shortly.
West Brom fans will be glad this saga involving a manager has now come to an emotional end, but with Mowbray re-entering followed by the added firepower of Brereton Diaz also potentially joining, the long wait would have felt worthwhile.
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