Aston Villa News and Views

Another striker, Guessand signed; what will his role be?

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by

Badger123
in

So we’ve signed what sounds like a very promising signing, in Evann Guessand, from Nice, in a deal that I think was £24 million, but may reach 30.

I find this a very interesting signing.

First, it’s a player I don’t think any of us have heard of. And then he’s supposedly a striker but will apparently be expected to compete with other plays on the right side?
What does that tell me?
First, it doesn’t sound to me that Ollie is going anywhere. But it might well mean that a deal for Bailey is in the pipeline somewhere.
And if the kid is an out and out striker, we now have a decent back up for Ollie, if it turns out that he wants to sell his soul and take stupid money somewhere (I’d expect a Saudi outfit to come in for him, maybe next season).

And if he’s back up for Ollie, where does that leave Malen, who struggles to get a sniff of a game, as much as most fans seem to really rate him? There’s something not quite right there, in my opinion, but what do I know?

Apparently, it was pretty much down to Unai that we got this one in the bag, while there were a few other clubs trying to sign him. It was all about how the manager improves players and it seems this lad is being well advised and has the right sort of attitude, which bodes well.

I like the look of this signing and have a sneaky feeling that the team have pulled another cracker out of the bag even if he’s only to be sold on in short time, at a big fat profit, a la Jhon Duran. If that happens it’s sad, but that’s where we are because of the rules.

Comments

33 responses to “Another striker, Guessand signed; what will his role be?”

  1. Badger123 avatar
    Badger123

    Welcome Evann!

    Reply
  2. Bum Bum avatar
    Bum Bum

    Guess Who!!!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
    Read up on this guy and apparently his attitude and work ethic are second to none!!! Brilliant signing. He’s devoted and totally focused on improving himself as a footballer. Top stuff!

    On another note, I see football has severed all ties with Stonewall. About time too!

    Reply
  3. BFR avatar
    BFR

    Badger, we play 3 up top and need strength in depth to compete on multiple fronts like last season. That means 2 for each position. Therefore, we need 6 forwards:
    Ollie, Evann, Morgan, Don, JJ, Emi. Job’s a gu’d. 👍

    Reply
  4. OLL again avatar
    OLL again

    Evann comes with a polished CV, and if he spoke the words the OS reported speaks better English than UNowho. Perhaps they converse in French. Where will he play you ask? In one of our 2 complete teams. If Ollie is not playing then Evann and Malen could be a front two in front of Onana, Jimoh-Aloba, Kamara and Bailey.

    The other squad has Ollie in front of Ramsey, Tielemans, Buendia and Mcginn. Torres behind them then the back 4. I doubt Unai will play 2 completely different back 4’s. Obviously he has the full backs covered and Bogarde could replace either Mings or Konsa but I can’t see both being rested together. Torres is not a CB even against Europa league opposition.

    Reply
  5. Hitchens60 avatar
    Hitchens60

    After Digne, Ramsey offered a new contract with Villa making it clear they do not want to sell.

    There’s a pattern developing here with Unai content with developing the current squad with just one or additions and a couple (Dendonker and perhaps one of either Buendia or Bailey) to leave.

    Reply
  6. Holte avatar
    Holte

    Buendia offers much more than Bailey so if we only need to let one go this window, surely it has to be him. In fact, I prefer Buendia to Barkley as well. Other than Tielemans, he is the best player we have to play a forward pass which would lead to a chance on goal. I hope Emery sees it that way too. He is getting plenty of game time, but it might be to put him in the shop window.

    Reply
    1. BFR avatar
      BFR

      Tielemans, Buendia, Barkley, and the skipper all very capable of forward passes…fantastic.

      Reply
  7. Bill Pearson avatar
    Bill Pearson

    Marseille 18-00 today got to watch this one lads. I see Watkins In the news again to leave us personally not this window, still what do I know.

    Reply
  8. OLL again avatar
    OLL again

    Loved the way Villa kept John Townley in the dark about our latest recruit. The dedicated Villa hack on Birmingham Lies couldn’t even GUESS AND get it right until the lad had arrived for his medical. Despite mentioning them Clownley failed to sell off anyone we want to keep, or buy any of the Bomb squads from Manchester and Liverpool. Proving he doesn’t have a clue and no secret sources so he just makes it up to fill a page – topping off the junk with sending his readers to Newcastle for the opening game when we are hosting the Barcodes at VP.

    Reply
    1. Badger123 avatar
      Badger123

      Cracking reply, OLL and just proves they know nothing..
      Which, sadly, is why I’m not posting much.

      Good news is me and my clan will be going to the game tomorrow.

      Reply
  9. BFR avatar
    BFR

    Anyone know the score tonight?

    Reply
  10. Hitchens60 avatar
    Hitchens60

    3-1 Marseille – brutal game for a friendly. Marseille played sine good football but they’re a thuggish side IMHO.

    Even Unai lost his rag over the French tackling. The one on Moreno should gave got a straight red.

    Having said that we didn’t look like breaking them down and their third goal was poor defending by Digne.

    New signing got a run out in the second half.

    Luckily it appears we got away without a serious injury, which is probably the one positive to take from the game.

    Reply
  11. Holte avatar
    Holte

    Marseille were dirty thugs. A taste of what to expect in Europa league. Villa to be honest were poor and couldn’t string two passes together.
    The highlight was Mings ripping Greenwood’s shirt off after another dirty foul on Onana.

    Reply
    1. Hitchens60 avatar
      Hitchens60

      Marseille will be playing their version of ‘kick anyone’ football in the Champions League this season – they might find they get more than they bargained for.

      I certainly hope so.

      Reply
  12. OLL again avatar
    OLL again

    3-1. Villa’s B team not good enough to beat Marseille, though we held them until they brought on fresh legs long before we did. Hemmings and Iling Jr were the youngsters drafted in. To be fair they were up against a team who are in the Europa league, and the gulf in experience was wide. Having said that it was a classic Minger in the 4th minute which gifted the Manchester *** offender a clear run on goal.
    I am yet to be convinced Onana is worth what we paid: though he is good with the best ‘other 10’ he does not raise the quality in a B squad. He gets fouled often because he runs with the ball and does not look like passing it. Villa do not score from the free kicks gained.
    Aubameyang pounced twice on Villa’s lapses in control. Better Villa players did not play – hopefully they will tomorrow.

    Reply
  13. 1874 was a good year avatar
    1874 was a good year

    Wow! That’s the nearest I’ve seen Unai come to clocking another manager and he was absolutely right. It was obvious that De Zerbi sent his team out in the second half to clog Villa as he was obviously desperate to win the match at all costs. I’d guess that his job might be in the balance for some reason.
    With only half the team out and playing in second gear, I thought we did okay but I guess that Unai won’t be contacting Marseille any time soon for another ‘friendly’.

    Reply
  14. BFR avatar
    BFR

    Oh dear. Doesn’t sound like much fun. Perhaps Villarreal will be ‘friendlier’…

    Reply
  15. OLL again avatar
    OLL again

    I’ve had a chance to view the extended highlights of Marseille again. Mings had a shocker.
    Not only the first goal howler, but he was at fault for the other two. For the 2-1 goal Aubameyang runs across Mings to wide of goal. He is the only Marseille player who could score from a cross, so if Mings stays with him he might not get a chance. Mings stays middle – no use unless he can intercept the cross, which he fails to do. For the 3-1 goal Mings is the cover for Digne. The winger gets round Digne but is 1 foot from the goal line. If Mings is quicker to close him down the winger cannot cross the ball and gets a corner at best.
    In mitigation, for both goals there was no assistance for the back four from the midfielders on the pitch. When Unai marks their cards – their contributions to attack won’t outweigh faults in defending.

    Reply
  16. Tom avatar
    Tom

    We play again today??? I don’t get what we are doing to ourselves here….

    Reply
  17. Holte avatar
    Holte

    The soggy shirts are back although the temperature in Spain is taking its toll. Emi has kept us in it and Ollie scores the only goal of the half. Wait for the click bait for a double transfer to Manure tomorrow. Buendia is looking lively again although I can’t help thinking it’s putting him in the transfer window to get more for him.
    Also Rowe at RB looks very promising. Does anyone know where Garcia is?

    Reply
  18. OLL again avatar
    OLL again

    A fine night on the tiles!
    Villareal’s stadium is named in honour of the town’s ceramic wall and floor tiles industry. Had I been writing about Rowe after 20 minutes I would have called his display woeful. But I haven’t seen a player grow into the game as he did before tonight. Rowe is one for the future. Jimoh-Aloba will probably feature in our Europa League, where I think because of his youth he does not count towards the 23. Guessand had a late cameo again – his colleagues need to make the runs to meet his drilled crosses.
    The difference between the sides was the finishing, Villareal missed complete sitters but the real Villa snapped up 2 goals with sharp shots from Ollie and Emi.

    Reply
    1. Hitchens60 avatar
      Hitchens60

      Enjoyable watch last night after the ‘battle of Marseille’.

      Buendia looked very sharp and must now be a keep given the restrictions on our transfer activity. Agree with OLL on Rowe and Jimoh-Aloba.

      If we need income to satisfy the EUFA sub plot and include Guessand in our registered List A then, for me, it’s still Bailey that offers the least and if we could off load him for c. £30m it would be good business.

      Reply
  19. Bum Bum avatar
    Bum Bum

    Reading about Liverpool’s defeat at the CS, it looks like Slot won the title with Klopp’s team. The fact they knew each other so well paid dividends.
    Is that our plan this year with a couple of minor additions? We played bloody well last year when we had a full squad available.
    Isak not playing for the BarCodes next week either because of his stance.

    Reply
    1. BFR avatar
      BFR

      Bum Bum, exactly right. It’s not so much the fact that it was Klopp’s team; Slot deserves great credit for the way he hit the ground running at a club with the highest expectations without strengthening the squad. The key is, as you say, was the familiarity and tightness of the squad. Now, they may well have shot themselves in the foot by doing a complete U-turn and pumping the squad full of expensive new signings, which looks very impressive but rarely translates to immediate titles. The biggest issue for me is Salah; why would you offer give a massive contract to a player who’s peaked when the plan is to go out and sign the best forwards in Europe at the right age? His performance yesterday is a preview of what to expect in the coming season; I predict he will be largely anonymous.

      Villa, on the other hand. Apart from the relative stability of a fantastic squad, need to channel the anger of the final game last season to produce a season for the ages. I saw the highlights of the United game again over the weekend and to say we were screwed is an understatement. We needed a point and would have taken it had it not been for the shocking officiating, regardless of being down to 10 men; we still would have dug in for that point had the decisions been fair and correct. This squad, barring excessive injuries, is capable of winning the title; consistency and belief are the secret ingredients; the quality is there and is comparable to anything else in the country; I really believe that – the players simply have to perform and they may surprise everyone, including themselves. Use the United screwing to fuel the one of the biggest FUs in the history of football!

      UTV!

      Reply
  20. Hitchens60 avatar
    Hitchens60

    I read that De Zerbi ‘commended’ his players for being aggressive and said they should have been ‘more aggressive’ from the start and it’s what the crowd want to see!?

    There’s a difference between playing with passion and spirit and just kicking bits out of the opposition which is what Marseille did.

    If that’s the way De Zerbi wants his players to perform he’s going to see a lot of coloured cards over the season and an unhappy fan base!

    Reply
    1. BFR avatar
      BFR

      Disgusting all round, Hitch. I found the images of Greenwood laughing and sticking his tongue both menacingly and provocatively after the heavy foul on Onana particularly ‘unsavoury’ to put it mildly: bully characteristics – draw your own conclusions. As for his manager, Unai would have surpassed Sir Ron in legend status at Villa had he not restrained himself and instead bitch-slapped him Will Smith style. Thankfully, he didn’t, though.

      Reply
  21. BFR avatar
    BFR

    Buendia. Proper number 10…

    Reply
  22. OLL again avatar
    OLL again

    Is Badger going to start a new thread for the Barcodes game? In case not my thoughts then here.
    I am doubtful of victory because of defensive shortcomings. Bisot is not the GK you would want against the lanky Geordies. Also Mings & Konsa have looked rusty, so I fear cheap goals conceded which will equal or exceed the number we score.
    Talk of Martinez getting 3-match ban to start the season has now changed to a 1-match ban. As far as I can tell this depends on the reason for the red card. If for violent conduct it is 3 matches but if for denying a goal-scoring opportunity it is one match.

    Shearer put us in 7th for his final table. I think I would take that – though hoping for 6th. Just as Manure and Spurs flopped dramatically last season and surely cannot be as bad again I cannot see them both overtaking Villa. I expect Citeh to be the side-on-the-slide this season, also Brentford and Wham skirting relegation. My top 3: Chelsea; Liverpool; Arsenal, then it is tight. Barcodes, Villa and probably Spurs vying for 4th to 6th. Citeh, Manure and Fulham the next 3.

    Reply
    1. BFR avatar
      BFR

      F*** Shearer. We’re aiming higher than 7th and I predict we will do it. And we’ll beat his lot on Saturday…

      Reply
  23. BFR avatar
    BFR

    Konsa and Pau will start anyway…

    Reply
  24. BFR avatar
    BFR

    Rashford (Duran) and Asensio are covered by Guessan and Buendia; does that mean no more business to be done? I’d like to see another top class CB come in tbh…
    Oh, and please bring Dougie back!

    Reply
  25. Texas Villan avatar
    Texas Villan

    I have a feeling that we’ll see another CB through and that’ll be it. I truly think that’s all we need right now.

    Reply
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