The Ivory Coast international has quickly won over the Aston Villa faithful.
Aston Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia celebrates scoring their first goal
After an impressive 20 goals from 48 Championship appearances for Bristol City, Jonathan Kodjia was one of the most highly sought-after players in the Championship this season. Clubs such as Derby County, Hull City and Aston Villa all took place in a bidding war, which saw the Ivorian eventually make the switch from Ashton Gate to Villa Park, for an eye-watering £11 million, rising potentially to £15 million.
Jonathan Kodjia – Bristol City
As one of many big name signings brought in by the then Aston Villa boss, Roberto Di Mattero, Kodjia came into the club with a lot of expectation on his shoulders, and after a slow start, it looked like his heavy price tag might just have been weighing him down.
Aston Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia in action with Newcastle’s Jamaal Lascelles
However, the initial struggle looked to have been broken when Aston Villa hosted Brentford on the 14th September. Despite a difficult, hard-fought game, which ended in a 1-1 draw, Kodjia finally broke his goal-scoring duck with an impressive finish.
Aston Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia shoots at goal
Despite Kodjia finally managing to find the net, Villa continued to struggle that month. Pressure began to rise on Villa’s Italian manager, and Kodjia struggled up top, not managing to find the net again in September.
Ipswich Town’s Grant Ward in action against Aston Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia (R)
After a 2-0 defeat to Preston North End, time was up for Roberto Di Matteo, and Kodjia suddenly found himself playing under his third manager of the season, with the arrival of former Birmingham City boss, Steve Bruce. Along with a string of promotions under his belt, Steve Bruce had a proven track-record for getting the most out of under-performing strikers. Could he finally get Villa’s Ivorian summer signing firing?
Ipswich Town’s Adam Webster in action against Aston Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia (R)
The answer was yes. After finding the net from the penalty spot in Bruce’s first game against arch-rivals, Wolves, Kodjia went on to score twice more, taking his tally for the season to 4 goals.
Aston Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia heads at goal
His goals against Reading and Fulham led Villa to some much needed victories, and it finally seemed like the striker they payed such a massive fee for had arrived. Once again, Steve Bruce seemed to be working his magic on his new club’s stirkers.
Aston Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia scores their first goal
After scoring another two against Blackburn Rovers at the beginning of November, things are finally starting to look positive for both Aston Villa and Jonathan Kodjia, and under the astute leadership of Steve Bruce, there’s no reason why the former Bristol City striker can’t end up as the league’s top scorer this season.
Aston Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia celebrates scoring their first goal
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