Crystal Palace in Talks to Re-sign Evann Guessand on Loan

Crystal Palace are working on a deal to bring Evann Guessand back to Selhurst Park, with talks under way over a season-long loan from Aston Villa.

The 25-year-old Ivory Coast forward knows the walk from the tunnel to the Holmesdale Road end well. He spent the second half of last season in south London, playing his part in a campaign that ended with a European trophy and a sense that his story at Palace was only just beginning.

His path to this point has been anything but smooth. Villa paid £26m to sign him last August, a statement fee for a forward expected to hit the ground running. Instead, his first months in Birmingham stuttered. Two goals in 21 appearances in all competitions left him fighting for rhythm, confidence and minutes in a side chasing honours on multiple fronts.

The reset came in January. Palace moved, Villa agreed, and Guessand crossed the Premier League divide. It did not take long for him to carve out a moment that mattered. His first Premier League goal arrived in a tight, nervy 1-0 win over Wolves, a strike that instantly raised his stock with the home crowd and underlined why Palace had pushed to get him in the door.

The season only grew stranger from there. Guessand had already appeared for Villa in the Europa League earlier in the campaign, and when Unai Emery’s side went on to lift the trophy, he finished the year with a winner’s medal from the Midlands as well as memories from south London. On top of that, he came off the bench in the Conference League final, helping Palace over the line against Rayo Vallecano as the club claimed European silverware of their own.

For a player whose domestic season had looked so flat before January, the honours list was suddenly crowded: a Conference League triumph with Palace, a Europa League win via Villa, and a first Premier League goal that hinted at more to come.

His rise continued onto the international stage. Guessand made two substitute appearances for Ivory Coast at this summer’s World Cup, a step up that underlined how quickly his profile has grown despite the mixed club form.

When the season ended, the big decision sat with Palace. They held an option to buy but chose not to trigger it earlier in the summer. Guessand duly reported back for pre-season with Villa, back in claret and blue, training under Emery and waiting to see where he truly fits.

Now the picture is shifting again. Palace, encouraged by his impact and familiar with his game, are back at the table, pushing to secure another loan. Villa, armed with depth in attacking areas and conscious of his need for regular football, are in talks.

If the deal is completed, Guessand will return to a stadium where he has already heard his name sung and where he has already delivered in tight moments. The question now is simple: can a second spell at Selhurst Park turn flashes of promise into a full Premier League season that finally matches his growing medal collection?