€30m initial fee
©IMAGO
Aston Villa have completed their first major singing of the summer window with the arrival of striker Evann Guessand from Nice. According to Fabrizio Romano, the 24-year-old talent made the move to Villa Park in a deal worth €30 million, plus an additional €5m in add-ons after signing a five-year deal with the club. Should the fee reach €35m, it will make the Ligue 1 talisman the club’s fifth most expensive signing ever, overtaking Ollie Watkins’ €34m move from Brentford in 2020.
Rumour
Centre-Forward
OGC Nice
?
Aston Villa
Ligue 1
Premier League
Indeed, despite spending €439m in the previous three seasons on new players, Guessand looks set to be the only major addition to Unai Emery’s side, alongside €7m signing Yasin Özcan from Kasimpasa. As such, fans of the Premier League club will be clamouring to know more about their new star striker. Is he ready to make the step up to the English top-flight? Is he potentially a replacement to Watkins? Let’s find out.
How good is Evann Guessand?
Guessand is a towering forward who came through Nice’s youth academy and recently cemented his spot in the club’s first team. After loan spells at Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland and then fellow French side Nantes, the Ajaccio-born centre forward only really broke into Nice’s first team last season. And that’s where Villa would have undoubtedly taken notice of his talents as a player that could score and create goals in equal measure. However, unlike most Ligue 1 talents that make the move to the Premier League, Guessand took a little longer to find his footing at senior level, having just turned 24 at the end of what would be considered his breakthrough campaign in France.
Despite that, Transfermarkt Ligue 1 expert Ronan Caroff, doesn’t think that’s too big of an issue and shouldn’t trouble Villa fans. “It’s great to see players blossom at an “older” age compared to some 17-18 year olds already having so much pressure on them,” noted Caroff. “His playing time grew in 2023/24, but he was still behind Terem Moffi and Gaëtan Laborde in the pecking order. His relatively new scoring record then isn’t too concerning, as previous manager Francesco Farioli’s tactics were notorious for focusing on defence rather than offense. With new coach Franck Haise, who arrived last summer, plus the injury of Moffi and the flop that was Youssoufa Moukoko, Guessand finally got a chance to be a clear starter.”
Indeed, Guessand certainly did take his shot. After picking up just five goals and assists in 30 league appearances for Nantes in the 2022/23 season and then a relatively low return of 10 goals and assists in 34 Ligue 1 games the following campaign for Nice, Guessand then suddenly burst into action last season with 12 goals and nine assists for his club in 33 appearances – averaging a very impressive average of 0.74 goal contributions per 90. And it’s the player’s ability to score and assist in almost equal measure, that may lead to some Villa fans wondering whether their new signing is being lined up to replace their current talisman.
Is Evann Guessand a replacement for Ollie Watkins?
Over the course of his time at Nice, Guessand happily played on the left and right wings, as well as sometimes playing as a second striker when he wasn’t tasked with being a centre forward. And when asked about his style of play in the French top-flight, Caroff certainly describes a player that may draw comparisons to Villa’s own Watkins. “His size could make him seem like a target man, but he’s proven to be more dynamic than that and has been used in all attacking positions throughout his career,” noted the Ligue 1 expert. “He can play as a great assist creator on the wing but also brings a lot of speed, power and technical skill to play across the front three.”
While Guessand is perhaps better in the air due to his size and even possibly a better dribbler than Watkins due to his speed, he shares the Villa forward’s passion for scoring goals as well as a clear ability to set up goals for his team mates. Over the course of his time at Nice, the 24-year-old talent averaged 0.28 assists per 90 minutes of league football. Which, surprisingly, comes in at slightly more than Watkins’ average of 0.21 assists per 90 in the Premier League. However, it remains to be seen whether Guessand can make the step up to the English top-flight.
“One could say that after only one full season as a key player for his boyhood club it’s a bit soon,” noted Caroff, when asked if Villa’s new striker was ready for the Premier League, “But with his stock at its highest right now and a long enough contract in Nice, it might be the ideal moment for him to move. And when we consider that he turned down a big-money move to Neom SC in Saudi Arabia, it’s great that he put an opportunity to test himself at the highest level above simply making more money.” Whether Guessand can make the step up at Villa this season or indeed replace Watkins remains to be seen, but early signs suggest that the English club have picked up a player that’s hungry to make up for lost time and prove himself at his new club.