Aston Villa are set to reintegrate the winger who has won two continental titles back into the first team.
One of Aston Villa’s loanees, Evann Guessand, is set to return to Villa Park with a new reality. He appeared to have failed to impress Unai Emery in his debut season. Yet, the Ivorian international seems to have been given a second chance with The Lions to thrive.
Based on the report in Birmingham Mail, Villa have decided to include him in the 2026/27 squad.
“Aston Villa are reportedly set to welcome Evann Guessand back into their first-team squad for pre-season after Crystal Palace opted against signing him on a permanent deal.”
Guessand joined Aston Villa in summer 2025 for a £30.5 million transfer fee. He had a difficult start under Unai Emery. Being deployed as a winger, he was expected to help Ollie Watkins ease his burden of scoring. Yet, he was less prolific and dangerous up front than expected.
Thus, he was loaned out to Crystal Palace in the second half of the season. At first, things turned out fine as he played regularly in both the Premier League and the UEFA Conference League.
Unfortunately, he then suffered a knee injury, which kept him out for a month. He missed nine games with The Eagles and struggled to return to the first team. He did play 10 minutes in the UEFA Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano.
Villa were hoping Crystal Palace would activate the option to sign him permanently for £28 million, but they let it pass. They underwent a managerial change from Oliver Glasner to Pierre Sage, which brought uncertainty to Guessand’s future at Selhurst Park.
Returning to Villa Park is the only choice left, and Unai Emery hopes he can revive his form just like Emiliano Buendia did last season, becoming a star when everyone thought his time in the West Midlands was over.
The Ajaccio-born winger featured in 21 games in a Villa shirt. He was mainly deployed as a right winger but only contributed two goals, both in the Europa League, and remained scoreless in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, during his loan spell with Crystal Palace, the 25-year-old winger mainly operated on the left flank. His performance was slightly better, as he scored twice and provided one assist in 14 games.
Due to his contributions in the Europa League and UEFA Conference League, plus the success of both of his teams, Guessand received medals from both competitions, which is very rare for a player to achieve in one season.
Based on the data from FotMob, the former Nice man’s form was not entirely satisfactory for someone who was expected to make a greater contribution in the attacking phase. His xG was only 1.56, while his xA was 1.02 last season, with only five chances created and fewer than half of them being big chances.
His successful pass percentage was decent, reaching 82.4%, while his accurate long-ball percentage was 50%. His dribble success rate was low too, at only 35.9%, but his aerial duel success rate was better, at 45.8%. Guessand seemed to perform better defensively. He made 85 defensive contributions, including 24 tackles, five interceptions, and 10 clearances.
Perhaps he would be better off being deployed as a wing-back instead of a winger. His ability to play wide on both flanks could give The Lions an advantage as they need backup for Matty Cash following the departure of Lucas Digne and the inconsistent form of Ian Maatsen. The possible arrival of Pervis Estupiñán could bring even more competition.
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