Cologne striker Jhon Cordoba stunned Arsenal in the Europa League – but moments of genius have been rare for the Aston Villa target.
Jhon Cordoba had big boots to fill when arriving from Mainz as Cologne’s record signing for £13 million this summer, per The Sun.
After all, the Colombian was burdened with the pressure of replacing Anthony Modeste, the talismanic Frenchman who scored 25 Bundesliga goals to secure The Billy Goats’ return to Europe for the first time since 1992/93 before heading off to China.
And while Cordoba’s 40-yard wondergoal in the Europa League against Arsenal will stay long in the memory, not least for ashen-faced goalkeeper David Ospina, Cordoba looks a big step down from Modeste already.
While everything Modeste touched turned to gold last season, thus earning his £32 million move to Tianjin Quanjin, his 24-year-old successor is yet to get off the mark in seven Bundesliga appearances for his new employers.
And reports in The Sun that Aston Villa are considering offering Cordoba an escape route from a side sitting bottom of the Bundesliga raise a few questions. One, will owner Tony Xia provide the funds after struggling under Financial Fair Play restrictions during the summer?
And, two, why would Villa think Cordoba can succeed after the high profile failure of Ross McCormack and Scott Hogan’s inability to justify his hefty price tag?
The Colombian is quick, powerful and a natural fit for English football but far from a reliable goalscorer. Cordoba hit the net just 10 times in 51 games across two league seasons with Mainz and also posted a less than impressive goalscoring record in Spain with Espanyol and Granada.
And his failure to replace Modeste should offer Villa another reason to be wary. After all, they would take five scrappy tap ins over one 40-yard wondergoal.
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