New West Brom signing Josh Maja is eager to make his mark ahead of Saturday’s Championship opener against Rovers.
The 24-year-old Nigerian put pen to paper over a three-year deal at the Hawthorns after his contract at French club Bordeaux expired.
Maja had a spell at Sunderland prior to heading overseas and also spent time on loan at Fulham and Stoke in recent years.
"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,” he told the club website.
“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."
The Baggies finished ninth in the Championship last term, three points behind Rovers, following a 3-2 defeat against Swansea on the final day.
Head coach Corberan added: “I am happy to have Josh here at the club. It was an important aim of ours to reinforce this position during the summer and we have done so with a player who has a big desire to succeed.
“Josh has international and Premier League experience and his skills compliment Brandon Thomas-Asante in a way which means they can play together or on their own. He drops deep to build attacks and also has good instincts in the box.
“Josh has been working hard while he has been a free agent this summer but will still need some time with our staff to make sure he is ready to face the challenge of games. We will work with him to manage this process.”
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