Finding a Potential Replacement for Borja Mayoral

Getafe began the season in quite poorly, close to the relegation zone for many match days. However, that changed when Borja Mayoral came along who had been injured since last season and has changed Getafe considerably, scoring 4 goals and allowing them to chase European qualification. Nonetheless, it seems likely that this may be his last season at the club if he continues like this as he was already pursued last summer but due to his injury no team wanted to take the risk. 

In this article, we will be looking at potential replacements for Borja Mayoral at Getafe. With the use of Scouting Stats AI and the McLachApp, both websites formed by football data enthusiasts on Twitter by the names of @ChicagoDmitry and @DEvansData on X, I have been able to find 3 potential replacements for Borja Mayoral at Getafe.

Due to Getafe being quite poor financially, we will be looking at economically friendly options such as low investments, loans, and also keeping an eye on contract expiry dates. Due to Mayoral’s limited game time this season, we are using his data from last year.

Name: Koki Ogawa

Position: Center Forward

Country: Japan

Age: 27

Height: 186cm

Preferred Foot: Right

Current Club: NEC Nijmegen

Context: Ogawa joined Júbilo Iwata at the beginning of his career and stayed there for 6 years including one loan spell at Mito HollyHock. In 2022, he joined Yokohama where he stayed for one year and a half until NEC Nijmegen signed him on loan and then made the transfer permanent in the summer.

Comparison of stats between Koki Ogawa and Borja Mayoral. (Mclachapp, 2025).

In this chart, we can observe that Ogawa ranks quite poorly in terms of chance creation as we can see with progressive passes and open-play shots created for others. Nonetheless, these parts of the game are not as highly valued by the manager José Bordalás as for instance their aerial ability and of course their capacity to score goals. 

These are parts of the game where Ogawa excels, exceeding that of Mayoral in headers won, and headers won %, and we can also observe that they both rank highly for non-penalty xG and non-penalty goals which shows their ability to get into goal-scoring positions. In addition to that, he has more touches in the penalty area although he has less xG/shot which tells us that he likes to shoot from afar.

Shot maps of Koki Ogawa and Borja Mayoral (FotMob, 2025).

Here, we can see each player’s shot maps from their respective seasons. The first thing we can notice taking away penalties, is that from 43 shots, Mayoral has an xG of 8.71, while Ogawa has an xG of 7.72 from 49 shots which means that Mayoral tends to shoot in more advantageous positions than Ogawa.

In addition, Ogawa has shot more times than Mayoral in more than 500 minutes less which tells us about the profile of striker he is. However, in the shot map, we can see that most of Ogawa’s shots come from inside the box, in fact, he shoots more frequently inside the box than.

So, why is Mayoral tallying higher values in xG/shot than Ogawa? The reason is that Ogawa almost doubles Mayoral’s headed shots, these are known to be scored less frequently and, therefore, aren’t valued highly in expected goals. However, we can say nonetheless, that the issue is not that he shoots frequently from difficult positions but that he gets on the end of crosses more frequently.

In fact, he has scored 3 goals from 2.52 xG this season from corners which tells us that he is a goal threat in the box and is deadly if crosses are made which could be very useful for Getafe as they are the 5th team with the most accurate crosses per 90.

Heatmaps of Koki Ogawa and Borja Mayoral. (Sofascore, 2025).

These heatmaps represent each player’s positioning in their respective seasons. The first concept we can observe is that Mayoral spends a lot more time out of the box than in the box, showing his capacity to generate play and his importance for Getafe in this aspect of the game.

On the other hand, Ogawa spends most of his time in the box rather than outside of it, telling us that when in controlled possession he can’t offer many variants for his team, but if they put in many crosses he will be there to score them which is something Getafe have needed this season when Mayoral was absent.

Overall, Ogawa presents characteristics that suit Getafe’s style of play though one thing is clear is that he needs to get on the end of a cross or pass rather than being the one making it. This is different from Mayoral who also has the ability to participate in possession and generate opportunities. Nonetheless, he seems like a good option that would not require a significant investment and could offer immediate results.

Name: Luis Vázquez

Position: Center Forward

Country: Argentina

Age: 23

Height: 190cm

Preferred Foot: Right

Current Club: Anderlecht

Context: Luis Vázquez was signed by Boca Juniors in his youth and for 2 years he managed to play for the first team which led to Anderlecht spending €4.5 million on the young striker in the summer of 2023.

Comparison of stats between Luis Vázquez and Borja Mayoral. (Mclachapp, 2025).

Here we can observe that just like Ogawa, Luis Vázquez does not have the ability of Mayoral to play progressive passes. However, when it comes to his aerial ability and his goal-scoring he ranks very highly, especially considering many of his minutes including the Europa League where he has been able to score 4 goals this campaign. 

In detail, his non-penalty xG and non-penalty goals are very high which shows his ability to get into goal-scoring positions frequently. In addition, his xG/shot is 0.20 just like Mayoral which shows both players’ pursuit of obtaining high-quality chances as well as his amount of touches in the box which is above average.

Shot maps of Luis Vázquez and Borja Mayoral. (FotMob, 2025).

These images represent each player’s shot maps in their respective seasons. The first noticeable aspect is that all of Luis Vázquez’s shots come from inside the box except for 1 which tells us that he is more of a poacher and is deadly inside the box as he has 28 shots from just 862 minutes in the league. This calculates to about 3 shots per 90 which is quite a high number considering they all come from inside the box.

Another important facet to talk about is that his high xG/shot has come with the same amount of headers as right foot shots, which tells us that when he gets an opportunity it is a very valuable chance. As we can see, most of his shots are very close to the 6-yard box making him a deadly player in front of goal.

Heatmaps of Luis Vázquez and Borja Mayoral. (Sofascore, 2025).

These heatmaps resemble each player’s positioning in their respective campaigns. The first thing that catches the eye is that Vázquez just like Ogawa tends to spend more time in the box rather than outside of it, though it does seem that it is to a lesser extent and he is also available at times in other parts of the pitch. However, he is quite different from Mayoral in this aspect of the game and tells us a lot about his profile.

Overall, Luis Vázquez seems like a promising youngster who fits Getafe’s playing style with his aerial ability and also his capacity to frequently obtain high xG values. Nonetheless, just like Ogawa, his chance creation capacities are quite poor though these are not a necessary aspect of a striker’s game. Because Anderlecht spent just below €5 million 2 years ago, the fee they would ask may not be low, however, I believe that due to his limited game time so far at the club, a loan deal could be completed.

Name: Josh Maja

Position: Center Forward

Country: Nigeria

Age: 26

Height: 181cm

Preferred Foot: Right

Current Club: West Brom

Context: Maja passed through the academies of Fulham and Man City before joining Sunderland where he would eventually join the first team. After just one season in Sunderland’s first team, Girondins Bordeaux spent €1.5 million for his services. There, he spent 2 years before going on consecutive loan spells to Fulham and Stoke City. One year after his last loan spell, he joined West Brom on a free transfer and has been playing there for the past 2 years.

Comparison of stats between Josh Maja and Borja Mayoral. (Mclachapp, 2025).

This chart shows us that Maja has a more similar profile to Mayoral in comparison to the other two players as he does not rank as poorly in chance creation being above average with 2 progressive passes per 90. Nonetheless, Maja is worse than Mayoral aerially according to the statistics though it is also important to mention that Maja plays in England where defenders are usually more robust and better in the air. 

Furthermore, his xG, non-penalty goals, and xG/shot suggest he is a goal scorer and is able to frequently appear in goal-scoring positions. Moreover, he ranks highly in open-play shots created for others which also suggests that he is able to generate opportunities as well as score them.

Shot maps of Josh Maja and Borja Mayoral. (Fotmob, 2025).

Here, we can observe each player’s shot maps in their respective seasons. Without considering penalties, Maja’s xG values and non-penalty goals exceed that of Mayoral, and as we can see they take quite similar shots in similar positions. One difference, however, is that Maja is a more unpredictable striker as he is capable of scoring with both feet and his head more frequently compared to Mayoral. Maja racks up 3.45 xG, 2.79xG, and 3.81 xG, while Mayoral has 4.86xG, 1.65xG, and 2.20xG with their right foot, left foot, and their heads respectively. 

Heatmaps of Josh Maja and Borja Mayoral. (Sofascore, 2025).

These images show us each player’s positioning in their respective seasons. An interesting fact we can observe here is that Maja, apart from appearing in the box, also makes himself available outside of it just like Mayoral which tells us that he likes to participate in possession. Furthermore, he spends more time than Mayoral in the box which tells us that he is readily available in the box when chances are created which allows him to tally up high xG values.

Overall, Maja would be an excellent replacement for Mayoral as he resembles every part of the Spaniard’s game to a decent level. Furthermore, his contract ends next summer which means that his price would be discounted in the next transfer window if West Brom wants to earn any money from him.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Koki Ogawa, Luis Vázquez, and Josh Maja are my replacements for the potential departure of Borja Mayoral from Getafe. My ideal replacement would be Maja as he can also participate in possession which is something the other two center forwards lack. Furthermore, due to his contract expiry, the fee for him would be lower and Getafe could get a bargain. However, the other two options, especially that of Luis Vázquez could also be great options.

By: Juan Fernandez / @ScoutLaLiga1

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Pressinphoto / Icon Sport