West Brom have completed the signing of former Bordeaux striker Josh Maja, fighting off competition from Middlesbrough.

Boro and Sheffield Wednesday were both said to be keen on Maja, but he has put pen-to-paper on a three-year contract at The Hawthorns.

Maja came through the academy at Sunderland and after a prolific spell for the Black Cats in League One, he joined Bordeaux for a fee of £3.5 million in January 2019.

He initially struggled to establish himself following his move to France and he returned to England in February 2021 on loan with Fulham, scoring three goals in 15 appearances for the Cottagers, but he was unable to prevent their relegation from the Premier League.

Maja departed temporarily again last January, this time to Stoke City, but he endured a disappointing spell with the Potters as he scored just two goals in 17 games.

However, Maja found his form last season, scoring 17 goals and providing six assists in 41 appearances in all competitions as Bordeaux narrowly missed out on promotion from Ligue 2.

How much of a blow is it for Middlesbrough to miss out on Josh Maja?

FLW’s Middlesbrough fan pundit Dana Malt was not too disappointed to see Maja join the Baggies and believes that Boro will bring in a high-profile striker towards the end of the transfer window.

“To be honest, I’m not so sure that the links to Josh Maja were entirely genuine,” Dana said.

“They might have been in a previous window, but his name has cropped up quite a few times over the years to a point where I feel like it might just be his agent using Middlesbrough as a way to drum up some interest.

“Regardless, I don’t see it as much of a blow despite him having a good season last season at Bordeaux.

“I fully expect Boro to make a breakthrough with a striker signing much later on in the window towards the final two weeks or so when Premier League clubs will announce their seasonal squads and some players will become available.

“That’s when I think Boro will make a move, and a significant move, for potentially a better striker, but we will see, I don’t see it as too much of a blow.”

What is the latest on Middlesbrough’s striker situation?

Boro are short on options in the forward areas ahead of their opening game against Millwall at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday.

Last season’s top scorer Chuba Akpom and Josh Coburn are currently out injured, meaning Michael Carrick has been deploying Morgan Rogers in a central role during pre-season.

Rogers, who arrived on Teesside from Manchester City last month, has played primarily as a winger during his career, but Carrick backed the 21-year-old to perform if selected up front against the Lions.

“He’s (Rogers) a good finisher,” Carrick told The Northern Echo. “Technically, he’s a really good finisher, it’s just that number nines, strikers who live and make their living in and around the box, thrive off chances. It’s a slightly different mentality to have, but he has an awful lot more to his game than just that.

“It’s about getting the balance really of having that killer instinct when he’s in and around the box and playing like he normally does when he’s outside the box.

“It’s not always easy to get that, and he’s got so much more to his game. He’s not solely a box striker – we’ll use him as we feel we can get the best out of him.”

A return for Aston Villa striker Cameron Archer after his successful loan spell at the club last season seems unlikely after Unai Emery revealed he is part of his plans at Villa Park, so it is an area Carrick will need to strengthen over the next month.