French-born Ivorian striker Evann Guessand has spent most of his football career playing for French clubs, most notably OGC Nice, so his move to England’s Aston Villa FC in this transfer window will be a huge challenge for the striker, given the new country and the new football system.
Born Evann Ludovic Vidjannagni Guessand on July 1, 2001, in Ajaccio, France, Evann is a product of OGC Nice’s youth system and has spent the majority of his playing career playing for the club, both in the first team and the reserve team. His first-team debut came on January 5, 2020, against ÉFC Fréjus Saint-Raphaël in a Coupe de France match, a 2-0 victory for his team.
While he was born in Ajaccio, young Evann grew up in Marseille. And before joining the Aiglons’ youth academy, he trained at ASPTT Marseille from the ages of 6 to 13.
“I remember, I started at the Magnac stadium on a dirt pitch,” he said to La Provence in 2023. “The coaches, the tournaments, the victories, the joy, the tears because when you’re little and you lose, it affects you, the travel, the parents… it all comes back to me. I really enjoyed it. I was a kid who wanted to live his dream of playing soccer, and I didn’t necessarily worry about it.”
On the other hand, his debut in Ligue 1 would come later that same year, but on August 23 against Lens in a match that would end 2-1 in favor of OGC Nice. In 2022, in the Coupe de France final, he came on in the 86th minute, but that did not prevent his team from being defeated by FC Nantes 1-0.
The 24-year-old striker spent most of his career with the club, except for the 2020/2021 season when he played in Switzerland for FC Lausanne-Sport and then the 2022/2023 season when he played for Nantes.
“He was already a very good player when he arrived, but he didn’t get much playing time at Nice,” explains one of his former teammates, Pedro Chirivella when talking to France Bleu in 2024. “He had some very good times and some more difficult ones, but paradoxically, it allowed him to become even more aware of his potential. It opened his eyes.”
The Ivorian has joined the English club for around €35 million on a five-year contract, which is a fairly fair price given Guessand’s current market value of €25 million, as per TransferMarket.
It is also reported that the Ivorian rejected an offer from Arab club Neom SC, which offered OGC Nice €34.4 million for the striker.
Guessand is currently wearing the number 29 shirt with Nice and that number is free at Aston Villa, but so is the number 9 shirt, so he could wear one of the two numbers on his shirt.
Many English football fans, including Aston Villa FC fans, have expressed their opinion that Guessand’s addition to the team is a welcome development and will bring a threat to the forward line if Watkins decides to leave. He can also play as a winger if necessary.
I can say I’m a versatile player. I’m tall and a bit strong. Most players like me play No.9, but I can play, 11, 7, 9, 10. I’ve not got a specific position on the field, but I would say around the striker is where I feel the most comfortable.
Evann Guessand on his playing position
Due to his last very good season with Nice, in which he scored 12 goals and 9 assists, the 1.88m striker would receive a TOTS card in EA FC 25 with an overall rating of 94. Though his base ratings in the game stands at 74. He excels in Speed with 85, in Jumping with 85, and Strength with 77. Furthermore, some of his weak points include 47 in long passes, 58 in Balance, and 69 in long shots.
Safe to say Aston Villa have had a lot of interesting transfers recent years and Guessand could turn out to be another one for Unai Emery.
