Evann Guessand


Evann Ludovic Vidjannagni Guessand is a professional footballer who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for Premier League club Crystal Palace, on loan from Aston Villa. He also represents the Ivory Coast national team.
Guessand is a product of the Nice academy, and progressed through their youth and B sides to the first team, before transferring to Aston Villa in 2025. He also spent time on loan at Lausanne-Sport and Nantes earlier in his career.
Born in France, Guessand was a regular French youth international up to under-19 level, before switching to the Ivory Coast in 2024.

Early life

Evann Ludovic Vidjannagni Guessand was born on 1 July 2001 in Ajaccio, Corse-du-Sud.

Club career

Nice

Guessand made his professional debut for Nice in a 2–0 Coupe de France win over Fréjus Saint-Raphaël on 5 January 2020. On 23 August, he made his Ligue 1 debut against Lens as a late substitute in 2–1 home win.
On 3 October 2020, Guessand made his Swiss Super League debut against Zürich and scored his first goal for the club in a 4–0 home victory.
On 12 July 2022, Guessand joined Ligue 1 club Nantes on a season-long loan. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 league win over Toulouse on 28 August. On 8 September, on his UEFA Europa League debut, Guessand scored the winning goal for Nantes in the final minutes of a 2–1 home victory over Olympiacos.

Aston Villa

On 8 August 2025, Guessand signed for Premier League club Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee; the contract is valid until 2030. This fee was reported to be worth €35 million. He made his Premier League debut as a late substitute in a 1–0 defeat to Brentford on 23 August. On 23 October, Guessand scored his first Aston Villa goal in an eventual 2–1 Europa League defeat to Go Ahead Eagles.
On 30 January 2026, Guessand joined fellow Premier League club Crystal Palace on a loan deal, with an option to make the move permanent at the end of the season.

International career

Born in France, Guessand holds French and Ivorian nationalities. He is a youth international for France.
In December 2023, Guessand was pre-called up by the Ivory Coast national football team for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Guessand made his debut for the Ivory Coast national team on 11 June 2024 in a World Cup qualifier against Kenya at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe, Malawi. He substituted Emmanuel Latte Lath in the 61st minute of a scoreless draw.
Guessand was originally only named on the back-up squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, however on 19 December 2025, he was called up to the tournament squad after an injury to Sébastien Haller.

Personal life

Guessand is the older brother of Axel Guessand, who was also a French youth international footballer.

Career statistics

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
121 March 2025Meknes Honor Stadium, Meknes, Morocco1–01–02026 FIFA World Cup qualification
210 October 2025Côte d'Or National Sports Complex, Saint Pierre, Mauritius4–07–02026 FIFA World Cup qualification
331 December 2025Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh, Morocco2–23–22025 Africa Cup of Nations

Honours

Nice
Individual