The Ivorian international joined Aston Villa recently and scored a wondergoal for his country.
Jonathan Kodjia – Bristol City 2
Aston Villa recently completed the Championship record signing of Jonathan Kodjia from Bristol City.
The deal has been reported by the Bristol Post to be worth an eventual £15 million to the Robins as Aston Villa spend big to find the goals needed for a promotion chase.
Villa fans were hopefully given a taste of what to expect during Kodjia’s recent link-up with the Ivory Coast national team.
He scored a fantastic goal for The Elephants, netting a spectacular overhead kick against Sierra Leone to confirm Ivory Coast’s place at the African Cup of Nations next year.
Bristol City’s Jonathan Kodjia and Mark Little (L) in action with Newcastle United’s Yoan Gouffran (R)
Kodjia has spoken about his wondergoal, his second in three caps for his nation, with CAF Online this week, stating:
“It was instinctive. I saw the ball coming in the air.
Being in the heart of the opposing defense, back to goal, I tried the bicycle which left the Sierra Leone defense speechless.
“It was fabulous and it is with great joy that I celebrated this achievement.”
He then went on to discuss his transfer to Aston Villa, of which he once again sounded over the moon:
“It’s simple. I understand that the leaders of this club were keen on me.
“They set the price and I signed. I am very happy because for me it’s a new adventure.”
Kodjia scored an impressive tally of 19 Championship goals with Bristol City last season. Combined with 21 that fellow summer signing Ross McCormack managed for Fulham last term and the 20 Rudy Gestede notched in his final season in the second-tier with Blackburn Rovers and Villa have no shortage of goals up front.
If Roberto Di Matteo can get them firing, then it will be hard for any team to stop Villa this season.
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