Aston Villa are on the verge of signing their first major signing of the transfer window with OGC Nice’s Evann Guessand. The deal is expected to be worth around £26m, plus more than £4m in add-ons.
Guessand has been with Ligue 1 side Nice since 2014 and rose through their academy to become a first-team player and earn himself a place in the Ivorian national team. Manager Unai Emery will be hoping that the goals and assists Guessand brings to the team will ensure they don’t have an end-of-season drop-off this time around, after the sale of Jhon Duran depleted their depth in the number nine position last term.
It won’t take long from Guessand’s debut for his versatility to be on full display for Villa fans. Last season, under Franck Haise, Guessand was utilised both as a centre forward and a winger. This fluidity in attack is similar to what Emery implemented in the latter half of last season with loan players Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio.
However, with the previously mentioned loanees returning to their respective parent clubs, Villa are still somewhat shorthanded up front. Due to this, Emery has identified a new striker target to help rectify the situation.
Emery "eager" to reunite with Jackson
Caught Offside have reported that Aston Villa have identified Chelsea and Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson as an ideal target. Jackson previously worked with the Villa boss while the pair were at Villarreal.
With the departure of Duran and an exit for Ollie Watkins still on the cards this window, Villa need to strengthen their attack, and Jackson is seen as a possible solution. Caught Offside’s source stated that “Villa are among the clubs most keen on Jackson. Unai Emery is eager to work with him again after their time together at Villarreal”.
Aston Villa don’t have a clear run at Jackson presently, with Newcastle United having held “informal talks” with Jackson’s representatives and Juventus monitoring the situation in the event they sell Dusan Vlahovic.
An even bigger hurdle for Villa will be finances, with owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens potentially needing to sell to buy, according to the same report. If Villa can navigate the PSR hurdles and retain Watkins however, they could have a very dangerous attack on their hands.
2024/25 Stats
Watkins
Jackson
Guessand
Games Played
38
30
33
Goals
16
10
12
Assists
8
5
8
Xg per 90
0.53
0.5
0.32
Goals Per 90
0.55
0.41
0.42
Stats via: FBREF
All three players are averaging close to a goal every other game. Watkins is the best in this regard, but he is the oldest and most developed player; there is still plenty of time for Jackson and Guessand to match him.
While it may look like Jackson is massively underperforming against his Xg compared to the others, there is an explanation for this. When evaluating Jackson as a Manchester United target, The Athletic’s JJ Bull explained how Jackson’s Xg underperformance has been misinterpreted as him missing a lot of goals he should score, when in reality it’s distorted by him taking a lot of shots he shouldn’t take and often shooting too early.
These three players, alongside the other attacking options they have in the squad, could see Villa push for Champions League football once again and help the club away from its financial issues.