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3 weeks ago
The overwhelming takeaway from Aston Villa’s opening crippled of nan season, a goalless draw astatine location to Newcastle, was that Unai Emery’s broadside were strangely stale, lacking successful crisp edges and devoid of a spark. Villa’s xG – for what it’s worthy – was only 0.13. Enter Evann Guessand? Guessand had a watching little astatine Villa Park arsenic his caller teammates struggled to penetrate nan guidance but presumably Emery is tempted to present his £30m signing from Nice, a powerful guardant pinch a penchant for eliminating defenders and tearing down nan flanks, successful hunt of triumph astatine Brentford this weekend.
For Guessand location are caller surrounds, and these stay early days, but nan 24-year-old is coming successful hot, caller from a breakout play astatine Nice wherever he scored 13 goals successful 40 matches (33 of which were starts) and was voted their joint-player of nan play aft helping nan squad to 4th successful Ligue 1, their highest decorativeness since 2016-17. Guessand’s last extremity for Nice came successful a 6-0 location triumph against Brest. The visitors’ goalkeeper that day? Marco Bizot, nan 34-year-old Dutchman who is Villa’s only different presence this summer.
Guessand predominantly featured connected nan correct helping for Nice but besides operated disconnected nan left, arsenic a No 9 and down nan striker. “He is tin of pulling thing retired of nan container to make nan difference,” says Lilian Nalis, nan Nice adjunct manager. “If he gets successful beforehand of you, it’s difficult for defenders to get him back.”
Last play was his first arsenic a regular starter for Nice, for whom he starred domestically and successful nan Europa League aft loans to Lausanne and Nantes. For Nalis, Guessand’s equaliser astatine Nantes, wherever he seized nan shot successful nan box, took nan briefest of glances astatine extremity and sent a fizzing left-foot changeable into nan apical corner, stands out. “He’s astatine his champion connected nan wings because location he tin return connected people, dribble and accelerate beyond defenders pinch his speed,” says Nalis, nan erstwhile Leicester and Plymouth defender who spent six years successful England. “Evann, pinch his goals and assists, had a large portion successful taking america towards nan top.”
Guessand was calved successful Ajaccio, nan superior of Corsica, wherever his father, Herve, besides a striker, played, and joined Nice aged 12 aft being spotted astatine ASPTT Marseille, a multi-sport younker club. From that constituent Guessand ever felt a fondness for Nice, wherever he was a boarder astatine nan College du Parc Imperial secondary school, mixing pinch youngsters aged betwixt 11 and 20, 200km from his family location successful Marseille. Nice’s past academy director, Alain Wathelet, wanted to gauge Guessand’s talent truthful asked him to subordinate an Under-14s session, successful which he impressed pinch his dribbling skills and oculus for goal. “Within 5 minutes, we approved him,” says Nice’s pre-academy coach, Pascal Bistarelli, for whom an Under-15s title-deciding lucifer sticks successful nan memory. “It was 2-2 astatine half-time and I asked him to summation his level. It vanished 6-2, Evann scored a hat-trick.”
Guessand’s acquisition successful Nice fuelled his thrust to succeed. He was a ballboy and emblem bearer astatine Nice matches and soon grasped nan lyrics of Nissa la Bella, Menica Rondelly’s hymn synonymous pinch nan city. “Evann ever showed awesome attachment to Nice, moreover erstwhile he went connected indebtedness to Lausanne and Nantes,” says Bistarelli. “He was ever wished to play successful nan Nice first team.” Guessand, who was fixed his debut against Frejus Saint-Raphael successful nan Coupe de France by Patrick Vieira successful 2020, playing arsenic a near winger, has stayed successful touch pinch Bistarelli; nan brace exchanged messages erstwhile he signed for Villa and Guessand gave him his garment for Bistarelli’s birthday.
Guessand represented France astatine younker level but made his Ivory Coast debut past year. He grew up idolising Didier Drogba and nan brace had meal successful Abidjan a fewer years agone and person remained successful contact. But while Guessand has drawn comparisons to Drogba, dissimilar nan erstwhile Chelsea subordinate he is not a accepted No 9. “I deliberation if you talk astir nan powerfulness he’s got, I would opportunity yes, they are similar, but they’re not nan aforesaid benignant of player,” says Nalis. “Drogba enjoyed nan conflict of playing erstwhile he had his backmost to goal, a defender connected his back. Evann doesn’t for illustration that truthful overmuch – he prefers almost hugging nan touchline truthful he tin spot each nan accusation he needs earlier making his move.”
Villa tracked Guessand, who rejected a move to nan Saudi Pro League broadside Neom earlier this summer, for 12 months earlier his arrival. They moved to motion him, amid beardown liking from Crystal Palace, earlier nan £39m waste of Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle and Leon Bailey’s expected exit to Roma to forestall nan anticipation of being quoted an inflated value for a subordinate who had 3 years remaining connected his Nice contract.
Villa admit Guessand’s crippled requires immoderate refinement but they spot shades of Morgan Rogers successful a subordinate who is besides adept astatine retaining nan shot nether pressure. Emery admires his versatility, citing his expertise to play crossed nan frontline, including arsenic a No 10. “We are watching him, giving him a batch of accusation astir really we want to build nan team,” says Villa’s manager. “He is watching our analysis, our matches. I americium utilizing him arsenic a striker and winger [in training]. Finding really to champion put him into our building is my job. He is going to thief america a lot, hopefully.”
Now Guessand, voted nan second-best African subordinate successful Ligue 1 past season, down Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi, plans to build connected his committedness successful nan Premier League. “I deliberation England is simply a measurement up,” says Nalis. “You get nary clip to rest; English shot will footwear your ass if you deliberation you’re going to return your clip aliases if you deliberation you’re going to hold until you’re tin of playing astatine your precocious level. You request to perform.
“English shot is astir apt much beingness than French but I’ve seen him person immoderate bully games against reliable guys. I’m looking guardant to him showing his skills successful England.”
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