Crystal Palace were linked with a number of forwards during the summer transfer window, with Evann Guessand being one of them.
Crystal Palace’s attacking options are strong right now, albeit thin on the ground with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah being Oliver Glasner’s only recognised options in the no.9 spot.
Another striker would’ve been ideal for Palace who raked in a lot of money thanks to the £67million sale of Ebere Eze to Arsenal, which could yet give Glasner some spending money for January.
Last time out, Crystal Palace lost 2-1 against Everton as their 19-game unbeaten run came to an end. That game, Mateta had a poor performance for Palace missing a number of chances.
Not signing another striker might well come back to haunt the Eagles. But they might actually be glad they didn’t sign Evann Guessand in the end.
Crystal Palace summer transfer target Evan Guessand struggling at Aston Villa
Palace were particularly keen on signing Guessand during the summer transfer window. The Ivorian impressed at OGC Nice in Ligue 1 last season with 12 goals and seven assists in 33 games, playing in multiple positions in attack for the French club.
In the end, Villa won the race for Guessand, paying £30million. But in nine total appearances for Unai Emery’s side, Guessand is yet to score or assist a single goal, and for the last outing against Burnley in the Premier League he was dropped to the bench.
His stats for Villa certainly paint a pretty grim picture. Crystal Palace may well have dodged a £30million bullet.
| Statistic (Prem) | Guessand at Villa |
| Apps | 6 |
| Started | 3 |
| Shots-per-game | 0.3 |
| Big chances missed | 1 |
| Big chances created | 0 |
| Passes-per-game | 7.8 |
Evann Guessand speaks out on slow start at Aston Villa
Guessand remains relatively young at 24, especially considering the fact that he didn’t make his senior league debut until the 2020/21 season at Nice.
On top of that, he’s never played in England before, so an adjustment period is to be expected, and that’s exactly what Guessand thinks he’s going through right now.
Speaking to Birmingham Live recently, though, Guessand believes he’s quickly getting to grips with Villa’s style of play and what Emery wants from him on the pitch.
Guessand said: “Now, everything is good and I am starting to understand how my teammates play. I am adapting my style of play to my teammates and I feel good.
“I am starting to know how to play in this team and understand how the coach wants me to play. I think through time it will get better 100%.”
As things stand, Crystal Palace sit in 6th place of the Premier League table and are three points ahead of Villa in 13th, who’ve now won their last four games in all competitions.
