Roberto Di Matteo comments on reported fee for Kodjia, hints at surprise positional selection

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The Aston Villa boss suggests Villa did not pay as much as claimed for the striker, who he will also consider playing at right wing.

Aston Villa manager Roberto Di Matteo has told reporters, as shown on the club’s official website, that the fee for Jonathan Kodjia was not as high as reported, and has also suggested that he could consider playing the forward on the right wing this season.

Villa signed Kodjia from Bristol City on transfer deadline day to boost their attacking options in a deal that was widely reported as costing the club a Championship record of £15 million.

However, conflicting reports have claimed that Villa actually paid an upfront fee of £11 million, with appearance, goal, and promotion-based bonuses potentially bringing it up to £15 million.

Di Matteo told reporters on Friday afternoon that he does not believe the club paid as much as that full amount for the 26-year-old.

The Italian boss said, via AVTV: “I don’t think it’s as much as is being reported but obviously there was big demand for strikers during the window. He had Premier League clubs after him as well and for strikers you always have to pay a little premium.

“I think the price was driven by the demand of the player. It’s how a market works, if you have demands then obviously you have to offer a bit more.”

Di Matteo explained that he made the move to bring in Kodjia as he wanted another facet to his attacking options for the season, with Rudy Gestede and Ross McCormack having been the prominent figures in the early-season fixtures.

However, he also suggested that he could be tempted to play the Ivory Coast international on the right wing on occasions this term, having seen the forward play there before.

He added: “We were always looking to improve our attacking options, I think we were a little bit short. This gives me opportunities to have a bit more competition within the team and also vary sometimes the way we play, and it gives me real options to change things around.

“He can play obviously as a centre-forward, we all know that, and he played on the right wing as well many times so he gives me real options.”

Kodjia, who scored a stunning goal for Ivory Coast over the international break, could make his debut for Villa in the home clash with Nottingham Forest on Sunday.