Aston Villa: Jonathan Kodjia and Kelsey Mooney won’t stop scoring
By Josh Tonti
Two forwards, in two different segments in their careers, won’t stop scoring wherever they play.
Jonathan Kodjia and Kelsey Mooney account for eight goals in the opening six weeks of the season across all competitions. Between senior Villa games, Villa under-23s, the Ivory Coast National Team, and Mooney’s loan to Cheltenham Town, the pair have a strong start to their respective seasons.
Both players, of course, are in two vastly different segments of their careers. Kodjia, 28, is a veteran scorer looking to rebound after two injury-stricken seasons. His early goals have aided Villa in keeping pace and not faltering even further down the table. His form led to a call-up from the Golden Elephants for a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Rwanda. A first-half strike gave him his fourth goal across all competitions. After missing out on the World Cup this summer, new manager Ibrahim Kamara retains perhaps the most talented squad in Africa between: Spurs’ Serge Aurier, United’s Eric Bailly, Milan’s Franck Kessié, Fulham’s Jean-Michael Seri, and Lille’s Nicholas Pépé. Light in the attack, Kodjia has a chance to flourish as first-choice centre-forward. He has six goals in 12 career caps.
After three goals from two under-23 Aston Villa matches, Kelsey Mooney, 19, made the surprise move to Cheltenham Town on a season-long loan. The move, thus far, has been incredibly kind to the English forward. Mooney scored and played the full 90 minutes in Cheltenham’s 3-1 victory over Northampton Town. That, after appearing as a substitute in the previous game.
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Mooney’s meteoric rise and Keinan Davis’ continuing injury problems are a constant reminder that player growth is never linear, nor is it assured. Between the two, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, Callum O’Hare, and André Green, Aston Villa have a quintet of talented under-21 attackers.