After months of speculation, Ligue 2’s Player of the Season Jonathan Kodjia finally brought an end to rumours of a prolonged stay with Ligue 1 new boys Angers SCO when last week he signed with Bristol City on a three-year contract as part of a £2.1 million transfer.
Kodjia’s departure to the other side of the Channel is certainly not the first and is unlikely to be the last journey made by a French-based footballer to an English club. However, it will be particularly interesting to see how the 25-year-old striker, a stalwart of the French second tier, fares in the English equivalent.
The first thing to note about Kodjia is the fact that, as a result of the glistening form which helped Angers to make their way back to France’s top-flight for the first time in two decades, he has developed a reputation far beyond the rustic and provincial municipal stadiums of Ligue 2. The centre-forward was tracked regularly by Premier League scouts from clubs including Leicester City and West Bromwich Albion, as well as by a host of Ligue 1 clubs, and he was even reported to have caught the attention of recruiters at both Ajax and Olympiakos.
On paper, some Bristol City fans may justifiably question why a 25-year-old player who struggled to make an impact at Stade de Reims in his younger playing days, before departing on three separate loan spells, could merit the level of attention that he received last season, not to mention now commanding a £2.1 million transfer fee. The answer lies in the fact that Kodjia’s career path had, until the start of last season, been slightly atypical to say the least.
The Franco-Ivorian grew up in one of the northern suburbs of Paris, in the shadows of the Stade de France, developing a reputation for himself as a promising centre-forward in the capital city’s regional leagues, and unlike most footballers currently plying their trade in France he wasn’t approached by a professional club until he was 19, signing for Stade de Reims as an apprentice in 2008 before eventually being offered a professional deal by the club.
The path that Kodjia’s career had taken meant that unlike most emerging French talents, he hadn’t developed his style of play in a centre de formation (youth academy), and this would have consequences which would be felt as he attempted to break his way through to Stade de Reims’ first-team. Kodija failed properly to adjust and adapt to life at the Stade Auguste-Delaune and he didn’t really appear to make progress until he was sent on relatively successful loan spells at National sides Cherbourg and Amiens, and then to Ligue 2 outfit Caen.
It was the Saint-Denis native’s 2013/14 loan spell at Caen which would convince Angers SCO manager Stéphane Moulin to bring Kodjia to the Stade Jean-Bouin on a free transfer at the start of last season. Primarily being played as a right-sided attacking midfielder, Kodjia helped Caen during his loan spell to win promotion to Ligue 1 by netting five goals for the Normandy-based side. Kodjia would go on to record back to back promotions from Ligue 2 with two separate clubs – a feat that has rarely been matched in French footballing history.
Almost immediately upon his arrival in the Pays de la Loire, Kodjia began to play as a lone centre-forward for Angers, fulfilling a role that he was unable to take up at Caen because of Mathieu Duhamel’s sensational form in the same position during the previous season. His move to Angers gave him the freedom to play in his preferred centre-forward position. Released from the shackles of the right wing, he quite simply blossomed in this role, finding the net 15 times last season in Ligue 2. The hope is that he will be allowed to continue his évolution footballistique within the centre-forward role at Bristol City.
So what made Kodjia such a hit in the lone centre-forward role at Angers? He has the physical, technical and psychological capabilities to be the complete modern attacker. He is a tall and strong player who holds the ball up superbly using his core strength; and he was by far and away one of the quickest strikers in Ligue 2 last season, using his pace to latch on to through-balls. His height also allows him to be used as a set-piece targetman and 20% of the goals he scored for les Angevins last season in France’s second division came as a result of the 6ft 2in striker reaching the end of crosses to score.
Kodjia is, however, at his best when he combines both his technical and psychological abilities: he is an extremely skillful dribbler and scored a number of goals last season when he ran directly at centre-backs, using his quick-feet and composure to pass players with ease, before using his natural coolness to finish effortlessly with his gifted right-foot. If he combines his athleticism and his natural ability and quickly settles into English life next season, he could easily demonstrate his attacking prowess to great effect in the Championship.
On a final note, it should be noted that the 25-year-old will have to improve and address certain areas of his play if he is to become the finished product. In order to have a more of a sustained influence on his side’s overall output, Kodjia needs to become more involved in the rest of the team’s game. Whilst benefiting a lot from the service he received from his teammates, the Championship’s newest French striker only managed to record one assist himself. He has also recently let himself down in terms of his temperament, which caused him to receive two red cards and five bookings this season, with one of these dismissals coming from a rash off the ball kick-out against Troyes.
Kodjia’s move from Angers to Ashton Gate may not be the biggest story of the current transfer window, but it is one that could prove to be pivotal for both club and player. In Bristol City, Kodjia has joined a club that is keen to make progress and make the most of their return to the Championship. In Kodjia, the Robins have similarly found a player who will relish the new opportunities that the move will bring him and someone who will look to make the most of what he has called his ‘dream move’ to English football.
He may not yet be a big name striker, but if he adapts to life in England in the same manner as he adapted to life in Angers, it won’t be long until Bristol City’s new French striker begins to grab headlines.