Aston Villa forward Evann Guessand is reportedly a target for Crystal Palace again, as our Premier League rivals eye a loan swoop for the Ivorian international.
The 25-year-old joined us from Nice last summer, but after struggling to make a positive impact in the first half of last season, he spent the second half of the campaign on loan with Palace.
While he seemingly fared better at Selhurst Park, it wasn’t enough to convince them to sign him outright on a permanent basis at the end of the season, and so it had appeared as though their interest had cooled.
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However, according to The Athletic, Palace are interested in signing Guessand on loan again this summer, and so it now remains to be seen whether or not an agreement can be reached between the two clubs.
Ultimately, even if it’s a temporary solution, it makes sense for all concerned as the Ivorian forward has struggled again with us during pre-season as he’s looked devoid of confidence and quality in each appearance that he has made since joining up with the squad.
Based on last season, he rediscovered that confidence and form more effectively at Palace, and although it’s unclear what the formula of the deal would be in terms of any obligation or option to buy clause being inserted into the agreement, a loan switch back to the Eagles will give them a fresh attacking threat.
Should Villa successfully move both Guessand and Leon Bailey on this month, that should then give us the flexibility financially and space in the squad to bring in fresh reinforcements to add to Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes and Alejandro Garnacho, and based on our pre-season outings thus far, it’s clear that we would undoubtedly benefit from seeing more faces arrive to bolster Unai Emery’s squad.
