The Aston Villa boss needs cover for the outgoing Jonathan Kodjia next month.
Ivory Coast’s involvement in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations could see Aston Villa hitman Jonathan Kodjia tied up for a maximum of six matches early in the new year.
The former Bristol City forward is likely to face Togo in the Elephants’ opening match in Gabon on January 17.
Should his nation – the defending champions – reach the final then Kodjia will be on international duty until February 5 and another week or two of recovery will be needed before Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce can realistically start using him again.
Worst case scenario, the 27-year-old, who is Villa’s top goalscorer in the Championship with seven, could be absent for up to five Villa matches across January and February and that is more than enough for a promotion bid to become derailed.
Bruce pointed to Ross McCormack, Gabby Agbonlahor and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy when he was quizzed on whether he would sign short-term cover for Kodjia. Problem is, all three have a combined two goals this season and relying on any of them to fill the goalscoring void left by the £15 million man is lunacy.
Even if McCormack is firing on all cylinders by then, they’ll still need another goalscorer. If Bruce fails to sign one then he is effectively spinning the wheel on the Villans’ season and praying that the Ivorians endure a shortlived defence of their crown. But Aston Villa are supposed to be beyond such gambles these days.
The appointment of Bruce is in itself an admission that there is no point in gambling on the likes of Tim Sherwood, Remi Garde and Roberto Di Matteo when they could play the percentages and start putting their money behind sure-things – or the closest thing to it in football – instead.
Kodjia is the reason why Aston Villa and the word ‘promotion’ being used in the same sentence is not completely ridiculous. He has single-handedly kept their playoff bid alive – they’re six points off the top six at the moment – and yet he might return to find that his hard work has been undone by a gamble on Bruce’s part.
It would be a big shame if Aston Villa don’t finish in the playoffs because of what their manager did – or didn’t – do in January.
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