Aston Villa told to cut losses on Evann Guessand as ‘unsure private life’ claim made
Evann Guessand is struggling to adapt to life at Aston Villa after his summer transfer to the West Midlands.
Villa swooped for Guessand at OGC Nice and made the Ivory Coast international Unai Emery’s only big-money signing of the summer.
There have been a few positive signs from the versatile forward at Villa Park, with Guessand regularly coming under scrutiny for Villa this season.
The 24-year-old is still picking up starts in claret and blue, with the summer signing coming in on the right as Villa secured a 2-1 win over Young Boys in mid-week.
A torrid time on and off the pitch for Guessand could come to an end after yet another shocking performance in the Europa League.
Evann Guessand suffering to adapt at Aston Villa
There were high hopes for Guessand when he signed for Villa as he looked to be the exact sort of player the claret and blue outfit were in desperate need of.
The Ivorian was coming off the back of an excellent spell in Ligue 1 with OGC Nice, where he had contributed to 22 goals in his final season.
There was plenty of Premier League interest in his signature, but it now looks as if the Villans have drawn the short straw with his signings.
Villa supporters may be growing frustrated with the forward, but his problems on the pitch may stem from a difficult personal life in the Midlands.
Former Aston Villa scout Bryan King has suggested Emery may look to move the summer signing on quite soon, potentially due to issues at home for Guessand.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, King said: “I would [move Guessand on]. The hardest thing for a football club is to admit that they’ve made a mistake.
“There are a lot of things when it comes to bringing players in, especially foreign players. Living in Birmingham, there are plenty of nice places to live in Birmingham.
“Guessand is obviously under Emery’s watch, they will have had several reports on him before signing him.
“It’s not only about how he’s playing and training, but it’s also about how he’s living, and an unsure private life usually backfires on the playing side.
“There will be reasons why he’s not performing, and it might be wise to cut losses and move on if he doesn’t start performing.“
Aston Villa unlikely to recoup £30m for Guessand
The ex-Nantes man has featured 16 times for the Villans, but has contributed to just one goal so far.
Guessand’s only goal for Villa came against Go Ahead Eagles as his scrappy effort somehow found the net away in the Netherlands.
That sums up his tenure in B6, with shoddy actions his signature to date, so an exit could make sense for all parties.
Villa paid £30million for the attacker in the summer and are highly unlikely to get anything close to that should they cut ties in the winter.
It is unclear what sort of fee could be accepted in January, but a loss is bound to be in the pipeline for the claret and blue outfit as their patience runs out.
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