Kodjia’s the man to follow says Ndoye

BIRMINGHAM City new boy Cheikh Ndoye is hoping to emulate the Second City success of Aston Villa favourite Jonathan Kodjia.

Ndoye, 31, joined his former Angers team-mate in Birmingham earlier this month after agreeing to become Harry Redknapp’s third signing of the summer transfer window and is aiming to make a similarly telling contribution as Villa’s talisman.

Kodjia scored 19 times last season to earn the adulation of the claret and blue half of the city, and Ndoye expected the Ivorian to be a success in England when he joined Bristol City two years ago.

He told the Birmingham Post : “I thought he had all the physical qualities to do well in English football and he hasn’t surprised me.

“The last time we met each other was Senegal vs Ivory Coast in March in a friendly match. He’s somebody I speak to, not personally over the phone, but I suspect I’ll run into him.”

Provided the pair don’t meet around the city in the next three months, their paths will next cross when Blues and Villa meet in the Second City derby at St Andrew’s on October 30.

Midfielder Ndoye, who can also play in defence, added: “The derby will be a big match and having one as big as our derby here is huge.

“We’ll be defending the Blue shirt and we play to win.”

Meanwhile, Danish forward Nicolai Brock-Madsen is exploring his options, with chances of first-team football at Blues growing increasingly slim.

Redknapp is looking to add new faces to his senior striking trio of Che Adams, Lukas Jutkiewicz and Clayton Donaldson, which should pave the way for Brock-Madsen to move on this summer.

The 24-year-old Danish striker impressed during a season-long loan spell with Dutch club PEC Zwolle last season, scoring seven times in 23 appearances. Brock-Madsen’s efforts did not go unnoticed in his homeland, with a number of clubs keen on securing his services.