Crystal Palace are yet to make a new signing this summer as Steve Parish understandably focuses on bringing Pierre Sage to SE25 above all else.
The Frenchman is close to replacing Oliver Glasner at Selhurst Park – and could swiftly make Hayden Hackney his first signing as Crystal Palace prepare a bid for the Middlesbrough star.
However, the Eagles may have already quietly made a new signing after continuing to describe Evann Guessand as a Crystal Palace player on social media – despite his loan move from Aston Villa ending after the UEFA Conference League final.
Initial thoughts on Pierre Sage? 🤔
He can boast a 67.5% win ratio from 40 games at RC Lens 😍
Crystal Palace include Evann Guessand on list of 13 players appearing at the World Cup
The Ivory Coast international is technically an Aston Villa player heading into this World Cup campaign, but Crystal Palace continue to claim the 24-year-old as their own.
The Eagles have uploaded a post on social media highlighting the fact that 13 Crystal Palace players will be involved in the World Cup – only Barcelona, PSG, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Manchester City have more – and Guessand is on the list.
Crystal Palace did negotiate a £28m purchase option with Aston Villa when taking the Ivorian on loan back in January – according to The Athletic – but there is yet to be any confirmation that this clause has been triggered.
However, the inclusion of Guessand on the club’s World Cup list could be a potential hint that Crystal Palace do plan to trigger that option once the former OGC Nice star returns from the tournament.
The man born in Ajaccio made an impressive impact in the second half of last season before injuring his knee, scoring two goals and providing one assist in 14 appearances.
Guessand took to an inverted attacking role like a duck to water in Glasner’s preferred 3-4-2-1 formation, and considering Sage uses the same shape, we presume the Frenchman was happy to have him signed permanently if the topic arose during talks with Parish.
Who is your DREAM signing? ⭐️
That, and the fact the Eagles continue to describe Guessand as a Crystal Palace player, makes us believe a permanent deal may have already been agreed.
