How Aston Villa could line up after Guessand signing – Emery reverts to old approach
Aston Villa are seemingly on the brink of signing Evann Guessand from OGC Nice.
The Villans have had a lacklustre window to this point, but could be set to bring it to life with the Ivory Coast international.
Having agreed a deal with the Ligue 1 outfit, the 24-year-old could soon follow Marco Bizot in through the doors at Bodymoor Heath.
With the addition of a new forward, many questions have been asked over the future of Ollie Watkins after links away from the Midlands this summer.
There is now every chance that Unai Emery could revert to a previous tactical approach, which may benefit the B6 club and get the best out of Guessand.
Guessand could partner Watkins at Aston Villa
In the 2023/24 campaign, the claret and blue outfit were able to secure Champions League qualification for the first time since the competition’s rebrand.
This was done utilising a dynamic 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 approach, which managed to allow for high-tempo attacking performances in the Midlands.
Watkins typically led the line and was regularly joined by Moussa Diaby in the second striker role just behind the Englishman.
| Name | Goals | Assists | Goal involvements |
| Ollie Watkins | 24 | 13 | 37 |
| Leon Bailey | 12 | 13 | 25 |
| Douglas Luiz | 9 | 10 | 19 |
| Moussa Diaby | 10 | 9 | 19 |
This ultimately got the best out of the two forwards as well as Leon Bailey on the right flank, something which could be replicated in the coming season.
Guessand could be the man to take up that Diaby role alongside the ex-Brentford man, utilising the summer signing’s versatility to do so.
This would allow the Nice star to drop deeper in claret and blue, something which could also benefit Donyell Malen and Morgan Rogers on the flanks.
Guessand to transform Aston Villa
It appears that the signing of the Ivorian could truly unlock a number of Villa stars throughout the squad if Emery operates in such a fashion.
The potential attacking nature of this lineup would also take pressure off the backline, which struggled at different points last campaign.
- Aston Villa conceded 51 goals in the Premier League last season
- This averaged out at 1.34 per game, the worst record in the top seven
- The clean sheet record dropped to just 21 per cent in the league
This is especially the case after the win against Roma in pre-season, where Emi Martinez’s distribution was superb throughout his 45-minute showing.
The Argentine’s passing could become all the more effective with a target like Guessand to aim for as the forward stands at six foot two.
This could completely transform the way that Villa play at times, all with just one signing and surely further additions are set to come through the doors.
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