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Why Re-Signing Evann Guessand Was A Great Move For Palace
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- Why Re-Signing Evann Guessand Was A Great Move For Palace
Henry Swain discusses Guessand 's arrival and how Palace's attack is ready for the season
Two days after we exclusively broke the news that Crystal Palace were advancing in negotiations to sign Evann Guessand on a season-long loan with an option to buy, the move was announced officially by the club.
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The move comes with what Aston Villa have described as a 'conditional obligation to buy', but is being widely reported elsewhere as an option to buy. Palace decided against triggering their previous clause to sign Guessand permanently for around £28 million when the Ivorian's first loan spell ended after the Conference League final.
The new option/obligation is closer to £20 million, with Palace securing a strong attacking reinforcement to bolster Pierre Sage's options ahead of the new campaign.
Exclusive: Crystal Palace Advancing In Talks To Sign Evann Guessand
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Why Guessand was the smartest option for Palace
Whilst the Ivorian didn't particularly light up the pitch in terms of goals and assists for Palace last season, his performances certainly caught the eye, especially prior to the knee injury he picked up in the 3-0 quarter final first leg win over Fiorentina at Selhurst Park.
His performances were so refreshing that he was keeping Yéremy Pino out of the side. The direct nature of his play, and the confidence in his own ability to push on and beat defenders one on one made a great change to Glasner's side, especially in the Conference League where Palace significantly struggled to break down resilient low blocks.
Whilst they're unlikely to face that same resilience in the Europa League due to the quality of the sides across the tournament, Guessand provides a unique profile to Sage and Palace . Palace's forward line had slowly become more tactical, but bringing Guessand back, as well as being close to announcing another exciting forward signing who is capable of taking on his man, is providing the feeling that the Palace we all know and love is back.
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Palace's attack is near enough complete
On the face of it, Palace's attacking lineup is genuinely very strong going into the new season, even before Guessand was signed. Dwight McNeil had come in the day earlier to replace the outgoing Brennan Johnson , and with Zavier Gozo set to be announced as a new Palace player imminently, the overall depth and quality in the forward line was adequate.
Guessand feels like the final piece of the jigsaw for Sage's attack. Most crucially, he doesn't come at an immediate cost, and is already familiar with the squad and surroundings.
With Yéremy Pino, Ismaïla Sarr , Jean-Phillipe Mateta , Jørgen Strand Larsen and Eddie Nketiah , Dwight McNeil all at the club, Sage needed just a handful of additional bodies to complete his attacking roster.
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Zavier Gozo is set to join from Real Salt Lake , whilst Solly March could yet sign as a free agent, and with Guessand returning, that completes a truly impressive attacking setup. There's a perfect balance of depth, quality and experience, which will give Sage the best opportunity to succeed.
