Sign up NOW for our daily Villa newsletter direct to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Bristol City striker Jonathan Kodjia is the latest name to enter the frame when it comes to Aston Villa's striker vacancy (see our video gallery of the forward above).

The 26-year-old centre-forward scored an impressive 20 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions last season for the Robins in what was his debut campaign in the Championship.

Moving to Ashton Gate for £2 million, Kodjia was a shining light in the club's first season back in the second tier of English football and his prolific opening season has caught the eye of some of the league's big boys, including Roberto Di Matteo’s Villa.

But who is the Frenchman? Is he worth the reported £6.5 million? What would he add to the current Villa squad?

Tom Heslop discusses all these points and more.

Gregg Evans on Villa's friendly win against Gak

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

BRACE YOURSELVES

The 26-year- old striker certainly knows where the net is and he isn’t shy of hitting two goals in the same match.

Last season for the Robins, Kodjia netted four braces, including one in a 4-2 defeat to Villa’s rivals Birmingham City at St Andrew's. He also scored against West Bromwich Albion in an FA Cup draw in January, with the Baggies winning the replay.

His other three doubles came in wins for City, all of which were in the second half of the Championship season just after Lee Johnson was appointed as their new manager.

WOULD HE WORK WITH RUDY GESTEDE?

(Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

The pair have the potential to work together quite well next season, especially if Di Matteo is willing to drop Jordan Ayew (providing he stays) just behind the duo.

Looking at how the former Angers striker likes to work up front for Bristol, he is very happy to run off another striker or even work as a lone striker, which would be a big asset for Villa to have.

He is always on the shoulder of defenders and if Gestede was there to flick the ball onto him and knock it past the defensive line then it wouldn’t come as a surprise to us if he replicated his impressive first season that he had with Johnson’s side.

ONE SEASON WONDER?

Some would say potentially yes, he may be a one season wonder, but wouldn’t it be a shame if Villa didn’t take the gamble on him and pay the reported £6.5 million for his services and then he has yet another top season with City?

If the 26-year- old forward stays fit, there is no doubt that he will once again have a good season at this level and moving to a bigger club than Bristol City will only do wonders for his confidence won’t it? Surely it will!

WHAT WOULD HE OFFER TO THE CURRENT VILLA SQUAD?

Goals and plenty of them! It was no secret last season that Villa struggled for goals under each management team, so the acquisition of Kodjia would definitely boost the potential goal tally for the 2016/17 Sky Bet Championship season.

Although the likes of Gestede, Ayew and Gabby Agbonlahor will undoubtedly score more than the 14 goals they amassed last season in all competitions next season, the addition of a tried and tested goalscorer in the second tier of English football surely wouldn’t go a miss.

WHEN DID HE LAST PLAY FOR BRISTOL CITY?

Sunday afternoon, believe it or not, but he didn’t last very long. The Championship side visited minnows Hengrove Athletic, beating them comprehensively 7-0, with Kodjia coming on at half time to replace the scorer of the fourth goal, Kieran Agard.

However, with nine minutes left to play, Robin’s manager Johnson chose to withdraw the forward from the action in order to give new summer recruit Jonny Smith a chance and he certainly took it, scoring the final goal in the rout.

WHAT ARE THE FRENCHMAN’S STRENGTHS?

He is very quick with and without the ball which is always a very good attribute to have, especially in the Championship with many teams now opting to go for a counter attacking style of play, something which Di Matteo might look to deploy at some point next season.

The strength that he also possesses is something that comes in handy in this division as many teams often like to get a little handsy with strikers that they aren’t able to cope with.

Most importantly, he knows where the back of the net is! Villa were crying out for a goal scorer last season after the departure of Christian Benteke but unfortunately for them, the purchase of Gestede never came to fruition, but if Kodjia was partnered up with former Blackburn Rovers striker Gestede then it could be raining goals in the Villa camp next season.

AND HIS WEAKNESSES?

If he has a bad day, he really does have a bad day. Some of the games that he played in last season for Bristol City, he was often classed as lazy and sometimes a little bit selfish in front of goal but isn’t that what you want from a striker?

He had a dry spell in the middle of the season where he only found the back of the net twice in 17 appearances which indicates that when things don’t go his way, it can all slow down for him in terms of the goals that he scores.