West Bromwich Albion supporters will be tentatively dreaming about a Premier League return, despite their side’s recent wobbly form in the Championship.
Last campaign, Carlos Corberan guided the Baggies to a playoff finish, with the hope they can go one better this campaign and actually win the lottery of the playoffs, or make a remarkable dart up the table into those coveted automatic promotion spots before the 46-game marathon is up.
Corberan will know he needs to get even more out of potent goalscorer Josh Maja for promotion to become a reality, with the ex-Sunderland man a revelation this season for the promotion-chasers, after a subdued first campaign at the Hawthorns.
Maja’s form this season
With Brandon Thomas-Asante heading for the exit door this summer, West Brom were in desperate need of a new hero to lead the line, and Maja has certainly stepped up.
The Baggies number nine has nine goals and one assist next to his name from 15 Championship clashes, which included a remarkable run of seven strikes in seven games, obviously boosted by his hat-trick heroics on the opening day away at Queens Park Rangers.
It’s been a remarkable turnaround of fortunes for the 25-year-old, who battled with injury issues during his derailed first season as a West Brom player, which led to just one disappointing goal coming his way.
Now, however, he’s the main man up top, but his goalscoring exploits have been remarkably bettered by an ex-West Brom fan’s favourite, who is tearing up South America currently with his sublime displays.
Former West Brom star is now outperforming Maja
The player in question here is Matheus Pereira, who is fondly remembered at the Hawthorns for being a goal and assist machine across two seasons which saw the Baggies win promotion to the top-flight off the back of his spellbinding performances.
Maja will hope he can do the same in the here and now for Corberan’s men, with Pereira registering a return of 20 goals and 26 assists from 76 games playing for West Brom before being sold on by Valerien Ismael in the wake of the club’s relegation back to the Championship in 2021.
Pereira’s constant trickery and flair, alongside his eye for a sumptuous strike, hasn’t abandoned him since, with his numbers for current side Cruzeiro across 2024 standing out greatly.
Once labelled as an “unbelievable” attacking midfielder by FC Augsburg coach Nate Weiss, he initially lit up the Saudi Pro League with three goals and 15 assists at Al-Hilal before returning to Brazil.
It’s in his homeland where he’s now back to his magical best, showcasing the type of form we saw at the Hawthorns once upon a time.
Pereira’s numbers for Cruzeiro (2024) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Competition | Games | Goals scored | Assists |
Serie A | 30 | 6 | 7 |
Copa Sudamericana | 12 | 2 | 2 |
Campeonato Mineiro | 11 | 1 | 6 |
Copa Do Brasil | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Sourced by Transfermarkt | |||
Looking at the table above, Pereira has accumulated a staggering nine goals and 15 assists this year playing for Cruzeiro across many competitions, with his output alone in league action bettering Maja’s ten goal contributions in the second tier, amassing an impressive 13 in 30 games.
The much-loved former West Brom man – who was moved out of the door after Ismael publically claimed he was uncommitted – will be overjoyed that he is still dazzling defences, three years on from his high-profile exit from the club.
“I received an offer that would change my life and my family’s life forever. For (me) to achieve financial freedom at 25 would be unimaginable. I want to leave I want to seek new experiences but want to do this in a fair and correct manner.” – Pereira on his West Brom exit.
In another reality, West Brom would have kept the Brazilian maverick around, but new heroes have emerged since then in Corberan’s ranks, including a revitalised Maja who has wriggled free of his injury demons in style.
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