Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of Evann Guessand from OGC Nice in a deal reported to be worth around €35m in total.
The 24-year-old enjoyed a promising season last year as he scored 13 goals and provided 10 assists in 42 appearances across all competitions for the Ligue 1 outfit.
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That form seemingly caught the attention of the Villa recruitment team, and the club have swiftly made their move to sign the Ivorian international as they’ve now officially announced his arrival.
While Villa note that he’s been signed for an undisclosed fee, L’Equipe have previously reported that it’s a deal worth €35m including add-ons, while the attacking ace is said to have signed a five-year contract.
There’s so much to like about Guessand and his fit with Villa given his pace, flair, technical quality, aerial threat and versatility to play across the frontline, and with a clear desire to drop back, pick up possession and drive at defenders, he could add a crucial fresh dynamic to our attacking unit and complement his new teammates.
Further, Unai Emery’s ability to develop talent will hopefully see him continue to improve and take that next step in his career, and so it’s an exciting addition to the group as we look to compete on multiple fronts again this season.
Having not signed loanees Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio this summer, there were voids to be filled in the Villa attack, and Guessand perhaps now replaces the former, while Emiliano Buendia could have cemented his spot as the playmaker replacement with his impact in pre-season thus far.
In turn, Villa look to have competition for places and depth, and Guessand will hopefully add a more consistent source of goal contributions, while it remains to be seen if we opt to sell a player in the coming weeks to make more space for him and to help balance our books and reduce our wage bill.
Time will tell if we’ll get a first look at our new recruit this weekend in friendlies against Marseille and Villarreal, but he’ll hopefully be raring to go in our Premier League season opener against Newcastle United next weekend.
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Good signing. We are going to need lots of goals if we keep leaving opposition players free to shoot at the top of the area. I really think that there is a deficiency in Emery’s defensive tactics. Not letting opposing midfielders slip in behind our mids into scoring position would be an improvement. This is just one aspect of defensive porosity.
I’m looking forward to an exciting season. UTV