Crystal Palace Pursues Evann Guessand for Season-Long Loan

Crystal Palace are pushing to bring Evann Guessand back to south London, opening talks with Aston Villa over a season-long loan for the Ivory Coast forward.

Guessand, 25, knows the walk down the Selhurst Park tunnel well enough already. He spent the second half of last season in red and blue, playing his part in a campaign that ended with European silverware and a sense that his story in England is still only half-written.

He arrived at Villa only last August in a £26m move, a fee that carried expectation and pressure from the first whistle. The goals never really flowed. Two in 21 appearances in all competitions told the story of a stuttering start, a forward searching for rhythm in a side with ambitions of its own.

The switch to Palace in January changed the scenery and, briefly, the narrative. Guessand’s first Premier League goal came in a tight, nervy 1-0 win over Wolves, a moment that hinted at a player finally beginning to feel at home in the division. He also stepped off the bench in the Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano, helping Palace close out a night that will live long in the club’s history.

His medal haul from last season looks almost surreal for a player still trying to fully convince in the Premier League. Guessand finished the campaign with both a Conference League winner’s medal from his time at Palace and a Europa League winner’s medal from Villa, having appeared for Unai Emery’s side earlier in the competition before they went on to lift the trophy.

On the international stage, he added another line to his CV this summer with two substitute appearances for Ivory Coast at the World Cup, a reminder of the pedigree that first attracted Premier League scouts.

Palace had an option to buy him permanently at the end of last season but chose not to trigger it earlier in the summer, sending him back to Villa for pre-season and leaving his future open. That stance has now shifted. With the new campaign looming and attacking options under review, Palace have returned to the table, this time looking at a straight season-long loan.

Guessand has already shown he can handle the noise, the intensity and the expectation at Selhurst Park. The question now is whether a second spell in south London can finally turn promise into something more permanent.