Mujica in, Maja out: The dream start to West Brom's summer transfer window | OneFootball

West Bromwich Albion's season is still alive heading into mid-May.

Carlos Corberan's Baggies have a little while longer before chops and changes can be made to the squad. The club finished fifth in the Championship table and will play Russell Martin's Southampton in the play-off semi-final this weekend.

West Brom reaching the play-offs, despite their lack of a clear attacking depth in Daryl Dike's absence, is nothing short of a great success, although their nose-dive in form at the end of the season is a worrying sign best exemplified in their 3-0 loss away at Sheffield Wednesday.

Despite dominating the game with 65% possession, they were cut down easily to give Danny Rohl's side a massive three points in their Championship survival push. 23 shots with eight on target and still drawing a blank shows just how ineffective in front of the goal they can be, nor did they capitalise on the staggering 12 corners they took during the game.

Corberan faces the issue of having just one prolific forward in Brandon Thomas-Asante, who was the top scorer this year with 11 goals in the regular season. The Express and Star reported in January that Thomas-Asante could be on the chopping block to lower the ever climbing wage bill, which could force West Brom to bring in a fresh face.

The unfortunate long-term injury suffered by 23-year-old Daryl Dike may also push the club into action. He made just four appearances in the Championship this season, before damaging his Achilles for the second time in two seasons. The club confirmed in a statement that the American will be out until the end of 2024.

Of course, right now, we don't know what division the Baggies will be planning for in 2024/25, but it's quite apparent that they will have to do some work at the sharp end of the pitch in the looming transfer window.

Ideally, that will be done early, which we explore here, looking at ONE player that could arrive and ONE that might depart in a dream scenario:

In: Rafa Mujica

Spanish striker Rafa Mujica has had a stellar season in the Portugese top-flight, netting 20 times in 30 appearances for F.C. Arouca. The 25-year-old finished his fantastic season third in the goalscoring charts for the league, behind Simon Banza of Braga and Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting CP.

The Spaniard started his career with Las Palmas in Gran Canaria, before having spells in the academies of FC Barcelona and Leeds United. Therefore, it is likely that Corberan and Mujica have crossed paths before, with the manager having worked under the Marcelo Bielsa coaching umbrella at Leeds United.

His near two-year stint at Arouca has been the most successful of his career, playing under Portugese manager Daniel Ramos.

His playing profile is unique and would bring something fresh and interesting for Corberan next season. He is an excellent dribbler and is a real threat on the counter, alongside a ruthlessness in front of goal that has been missing at The Hawthorns in the Championship. Mujica is also very talented in the air.

Getting Mujica to put pen-to-paper might be a complicated issue for West Brom, with Arouca surely not wanting to let their top-scorer leave for any cut-price deal when he has another two years on his contract. There is every possibility that Mujica is only a viable option if The Baggies reach the Premier League through the play-offs in the next few weeks.

The transfer policy of the previous summer for Albion was to utilise loan deals and free transfers, but this summer could be significantly different after the club was taken over by Bilkul Football in February 2024.

This might give Carlos Corberan a bit more financial clout and control in the transfer market this summer if the new Florida-based owner, Shilen Patel, decides to back him.

Out: Josh Maja

One point of debate will be whether to keep faith in Josh Maja, who has failed to impress in a difficult campaign under Carlos Corberan.

The front-man showed glimmers of excellence at his previous club, Bordeaux, where he bagged 16 goals and six assists in 38 matches in 2022/23. His arrival on a free transfer last summer seemed like an obvious move and a bargain, but things haven't gone to plan.

Recruiting a solid back-up striker so far has been a failure, with Maja's signature on a free transfer last summer not really culminating in a great return. The Nigerian scored just once in 12 appearances for the club this campaign, emphasising the need for stellar recruitment in the summer.

He has, however, suffered from injuries himself this season. Multiple torn ligaments and a knee issue have set the young forward back in his first campaign, thus not giving him a great chance to make an impact. The club may decide to give him a prolonged run in the team before they make any permanent decisions around his future at Albion, especially as his contract doesn't expire until June 30, 2026.

However, in a dream scenario where a player of Mujica's calibre arriving, it might also be a dream to move on Maja whilst he retains some sort of market value.