Jonathan Kodjia has distracted from the Ross McCormack debacle at Aston Villa.
Aston Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia heads at goal
Aston Villa are set to find out over the upcoming games how difficult life would have been without Jonathan Kodkia.
The prolific striker’s red card against Fulham will rule him out of the end of the season unless his appeal against suspension is successful.
Either way, Kodjia can reflect on his first season at Villa Park as a big success.
He has lived up to the £15 million price tag, netting 19 goals in 35 appearances.
Perhaps the biggest plus point regarding Kodjia’s impact is the welcome distraction he has provided from Ross McCormack’s disastrous spell at the club.
McCormack was Villa’s big money signing before Kodjia’s addition, originally seen as the key player who could get them back on track, before they sought to double down by signing the Bristol City forward too.
Aston Villa’s Ross McCormack celebrates scoring
McCormack’s spell at Villa saw him net only three goals in 20 games, falling out of favour under Steve Bruce.
He was sent out on loan to Nottingham Forest on deadline day with Steve Bruce fed up with him, and it seems there is no way back for the Scotsman at Villa Park.
At Forest he has fared little better, scoring only once.
His signing will go down as a colossal waste of money for Villa, but thanks to Kodjia, Villa can move on without dwelling on the failure.
Owner Tony Xia has put them in a luxurious financial position to be able to afford both, and add Scott Hogan too. The McCormack failure may make him more wary in future.
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