Evann Guessand makes Crystal Palace transfer decision after ‘what I’ve heard at Aston Villa’
Evann Guessand is keen to make the permanent switch to Crystal Palace despite having only just joined on loan from Aston Villa.
Guessand impressed on his debut against Brighton as he picked up the assist for Ismaila Sarr‘s winning goal, the perfect start for any new Palace signing.
Now, former Aston Villa scout Mick Brown has told Football Insider that the 24-year-old is keen to move on from a nightmare spell at Villa Park.
Unai Emery‘s side beat Palace to his signing in the summer, as Guessand hinted in his first interview with Palace as he revealed he had been “waiting” to make the switch.
The deal for the Ivory Coast international to join Palace on loan also included an obligation to buy which will be triggered should he hit certain targets under Oliver Glasner.
Evann Guessand hopes to make permanent Palace switch
Guessand started just six league games under Emery in the first half of the season, but hopes he can impress under Glasner and earn increased playing time.
There is also a feeling that he fits better in the system at Selhurst Park compared to at Villa, having already matched his Premier League goals and assist tally.
“I’m interested to see how Guessand gets on at Palace,” Brown told Football Insider.
“From what I’ve heard about him at Aston Villa, he wasn’t particularly happy there, the move didn’t quite work for him and that can happen sometimes.
“Palace have wanted him since the summer, they’ll have spoken to him previously, and now that he’s made that move he’ll hope things go better there.
“He couldn’t have got off to a much better start, and now he just needs to keep proving why they wanted him in the first place.
“If he can keep up his performances and play a big role in any success Palace have, there’s no reason they wouldn’t want him to join on a longer deal.
“It’s certainly something the player would be interested in doing, and I expect Palace are on the same page at the moment, so they’ll see how things go.
“After how things went at Villa, it’s probably the best outcome for everybody involved if he does make that permanent move in the summer.”
Jean-Philippe Mateta update emerges at Selhurst Park
Guessand arrived at Palace late in the January transfer window and was quickly followed by Jorgen Strand Larsen and they moved to bolster their attacking options.
This came as Jean-Philippe Mateta was widely expected to leave Palace on deadline day, before he failed a medical with AC Milan due to a knee issue.
Glasner has since confirmed the France international will not undergo surgery on the issue, but could spend up to four weeks on the sidelines as part of his recovery.
Brown told Football Insider on 3 February that Mateta must prove he wants to be at Palace if he wants to return to the first-team plans under Glasner.
The door has not been closed to his return despite him having pushed for a move away by refusing to play against Nottingham Forest, but he must work his way back in.
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