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da fezbet： Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce confirmed after his side’s 2-1 win against Sunderland at Villa Park on Tuesday night that striker Jonathan Kodjia could again be missing for a number of months as he is due to undergo surgery on his ankle.
The 28-year-old has already missed five months of football in 2017 after breaking his ankle back in April, and now he appears to have suffered a recurrence of the problem while on international duty with the Ivory Coast earlier this month.
While Villa moved up to fourth position in the Championship with the victory against the Mackems, the news will certainly be concerning considering the centre-forward was their top goalscorer last term, as well as the fact that attacking teammates Scott Hogan and Gabby Agbonlahor are also absent through injury and Ross McCormack is on loan with Melbourne City.
It means that Bruce is likely to look to bring a centre-forward to the club during the January transfer window to help young Keinan Davis out, and signing out-of-favour Leicester City striker Leonardo Ulloa could prove to be a shrewd move.
Here are three reasons Villa should target the 31-year-old to replace Kodjia in the New Year…
Experience and quality
If Bruce is looking for a striker that knows the Championship well during the January transfer window, then Ulloa should certainly be near the top of his list.
The Argentine centre-forward scored 23 goals in 50 appearances at this level for Brighton and Hove Albion before he joined Leicester, and he has shown his ability to find the net since with 18 in 82 Premier League outings for the Foxes.
Considering the majority of those have come from the substitutes’ bench, it really isn’t too shabby a record and it shows what he could do if he is given regular starts.
Physical presence
At 6ft 2in tall, Ulloa can replace the physical presence that Kodjia has brought to the Aston Villa side since he joined them in the summer of 2016, as well as bringing the hold-up pay that can allow the likes of Albert Adomah and Conor Hourihane to flourish.
While young Keinan Davis has filled the role well when the Ivorian has been absent this term, he is still only 19 years of age and it would be perhaps unfair to ask him to lead the line for the entire season.
Ulloa has the attributes play as a lone striker in Bruce’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, and according to Squawka he won 122 aerial duels when he was a regular for Leicester in the Premier League in the 2014/15 campaign.
Point to prove
After handing in a transfer request last season Ulloa decided to sign a new two-year deal in August of this year following the sacking of Claudio Ranieri, but things haven’t gone to plan for him this term.
The 31-year-old has played just 143 minutes of first-team football – across two appearances in the Carabao Cup – while he has only made the matchday squad in the Premier League twice, the last of which was as an unused substitute against Chelsea in September.
Seemingly completely out of favour under Claude Puel, Ulloa will have a point to prove if he does leave the club during the January transfer window and that motivation could make him a key player for Villa in their promotion push.
Do you agree, Villa fans? Let us know below.