Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Smirker on August 05, 2025, 07:29:02 PM
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It's been here we go'd.
If it doesn't happen I'll take a permaban.
WELCOME TO THE VILLA.
8)
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Too many assists Smirker.
Very interesting, sounds promising in terms of profile.
Who have we managed to shift then? It’s a pretty substantial fee when we have the UEFA restrictions.
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Good lord, it looks like we’re signing someone…
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Too many assists Smirker.
Very interesting, sounds promising in terms of profile.
Who have we managed to shift then? It’s a pretty substantial fee when we have the UEFA restrictions.
I reckon Bailey will be the first departure for decent money that shoots off.
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Good lord, it looks like we’re signing someone…
Good Evanns, Shirley?
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Watching the clips he has quite a lot in common with Morgan in terms of running style, strength and technique.
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12 goals from 32 games last season and Nice finished 4th . Not bad .
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Watkins off?
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Watkins off?
More likely a replacement for Bailey, so Leon off?
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He looks like a centre forward to me, 6ft 2 - I wonder if his eyes are blue?
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He looks like a centre forward to me, 6ft 2 - I wonder if his eyes are blue?
Evann Guessand's after you...
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Never heard of him before, but been told he’s good on FM which will do for me :)
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He looks like a centre forward to me, 6ft 2 - I wonder if his eyes are blue?
He isn’t. He can play there, but he is more of an “inside forward”.
https://breakingthelines.com/player-analysis/evann-guessand-striker-winger-or-a-hybrid-forward/ (https://breakingthelines.com/player-analysis/evann-guessand-striker-winger-or-a-hybrid-forward/)
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I remember seeing a link to him in January so I watched his youtube vids and, for me, he's exactly what we need. Him and Rogers out wide and then Ollie and Asensio at 9 and 10 is a scary looking attack, and then you have players like Malen, Ramsey and McGinn fitting in around them, I reckon teams would be fucking terrified of us.
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Welcome to the Villa.
Help win us something and shut sundry family members up!
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Takes penalties too!
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I remember seeing a link to him in January so I watched his youtube vids and, for me, he's exactly what we need. Him and Rogers out wide and then Ollie and Asensio at 9 and 10 is a scary looking attack, and then you have players like Malen, Ramsey and McGinn fitting in around them, I reckon teams would be fucking terrified of us.
Love that Paul….bit of positivity we need
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I remember seeing a link to him in January so I watched his youtube vids and, for me, he's exactly what we need. Him and Rogers out wide and then Ollie and Asensio at 9 and 10 is a scary looking attack, and then you have players like Malen, Ramsey and McGinn fitting in around them, I reckon teams would be fucking terrified of us.
Love that Paul….bit of positivity we need
This makes me very, very excited :)
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His show reel looks fantastic but I've never heard of him
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Good feel to this signing .
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I remember seeing a link to him in January so I watched his youtube vids and, for me, he's exactly what we need. Him and Rogers out wide and then Ollie and Asensio at 9 and 10 is a scary looking attack, and then you have players like Malen, Ramsey and McGinn fitting in around them, I reckon teams would be fucking terrified of us.
Love that Paul….bit of positivity we need
Isn’t the problem with that the lack of Asensio? Great vision, though. Just hope we can make it happen.
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Some journos suggesting it's an initial payment of 22 million pounds.
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It is a very low bar to improve on what Bailey was producing last season.
Can play as CF if needed so looks a good pick up to me.
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It is a very low bar to improve on what Bailey was producing last season.
Can play as CF if needed so looks a good pick up to me.
Anything better then 5 goal contributions will be a positive over Bailey.
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Isnt he fairly similar to Malen?
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Apart from the 2 foot height difference.
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Isnt he fairly similar to Malen?
Not physically , plus he can play central and left too
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Isnt he fairly similar to Malen?
He’s much taller, more skilful and likes to take players on.
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Apart from playing left, right or central is also something Malen has done at other clubs in the past. So just the apparent physicality.
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Malen
Rogers
Guessand
Decent forward options.
Ramsey if he can get some consistency again. Reckon he might be off though.
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Definitely need to get others chipping in to help Watkins, given he scored or assisted 50% of our goals in the league last season.
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Still very unfair that the league decided not to count any of the goals we scored from his assists.
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Evann 'elp us.
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Still very unfair that the league decided not to count any of the goals we scored from his assists.
Unfortunately, as has always been the case, goals scored by a striker count as 2, assists by a striker are -1. Rules are rules.
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I remember seeing a link to him in January so I watched his youtube vids and, for me, he's exactly what we need. Him and Rogers out wide and then Ollie and Asensio at 9 and 10 is a scary looking attack, and then you have players like Malen, Ramsey and McGinn fitting in around them, I reckon teams would be fucking terrified of us.
Love that Paul….bit of positivity we need
Isn’t the problem with that the lack of Asensio? Great vision, though. Just hope we can make it happen.
Well this guy hasn't signed yet either but I think he will and I reckon Asensio will join in again in a couple of weeks, unless someone else comes in for him in the meantime. I've had a feeling all summer he'd be back for another year on loan.
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Ramsey if he can get some consistency again. Reckon he might be off though.
certainly hope not . Bailey can go
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Sounds like a good bit of business. On my birthday too. Hope he signs and is brilliant for us. Good to have another attacking option.
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^^ Happy birthday Steve.
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No idea if this is good or not.
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Sounds like a good bit of business. On my birthday too. Hope he signs and is brilliant for us. Good to have another attacking option.
through the middle or down the left .
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Wonder if we are going 3-4-3? Can’t beat them so join them
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Ramsey if he can get some consistency again. Reckon he might be off though.
certainly hope not . Bailey can go
West Ham fan at work suggested they were after Ramsey (he said a swap for Paqueta) but I’ve no idea whether their ITK is as solid as ours…
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Sounds like a good bit of business. On my birthday too. Hope he signs and is brilliant for us. Good to have another attacking option.
Wish you a very happy 58th birthday Mr.
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^^ Happy birthday Steve.
Thanks Perce!
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Sounds like a good bit of business. On my birthday too. Hope he signs and is brilliant for us. Good to have another attacking option.
Wish you a very happy 58th birthday Mr.
Thank Aftab, very kind of you.
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Just hoping Small Heath don't try to hijack the deal.
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Wonder if we are going 3-4-3? Can’t beat them so join them
Dibu
Konsa Tyrone Pau
Cash Bouba Youri Digne
Rogers Ollie Jacob
Subs
Bizot Gauci
Garcia, Bogarde, Moreno, Maatsen
Onana McGinn Buendia
Illing-Junior, Jimoh-Aloba, Malen, Guessand
Fully expect some of the subs to be loaned/sold/replaced
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As I said from the start - a totally different option from Malen.
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Wonder if we are going 3-4-3? Can’t beat them so join them
Dibu
Konsa Tyrone Pau
Cash Bouba Youri Digne
Rogers Ollie Jacob
Subs
Bizot Gauci
Garcia, Bogarde, Moreno, Maatsen
Onana McGinn Buendia
Illing-Junior, Jimoh-Aloba, Malen, Guessand
Fully expect some of the subs to be loaned/sold/replaced
That back 3 would be catastrophic I fear. Digne and Cash would be rotten in that setup too. Just no
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Wonder if we are going 3-4-3?
I was having a pleasant evening.
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Wonder if we are going 3-4-3? Can’t beat them so join them
Dibu
Konsa Tyrone Pau
Cash Bouba Youri Digne
Rogers Ollie Jacob
Subs
Bizot Gauci
Garcia, Bogarde, Moreno, Maatsen
Onana McGinn Buendia
Illing-Junior, Jimoh-Aloba, Malen, Guessand
Fully expect some of the subs to be loaned/sold/replaced
That back 3 would be catastrophic I fear. Digne and Cash would be rotten in that setup too. Just no
Agree, relegation candidates if we put that out every week.
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Wonder if we are going 3-4-3? Can’t beat them so join them
Dibu
Konsa Tyrone Pau
Cash Bouba Youri Digne
Rogers Ollie Jacob
Subs
Bizot Gauci
Garcia, Bogarde, Moreno, Maatsen
Onana McGinn Buendia
Illing-Junior, Jimoh-Aloba, Malen, Guessand
Fully expect some of the subs to be loaned/sold/replaced
That back 3 would be catastrophic I fear. Digne and Cash would be rotten in that setup too. Just no
Agree, relegation candidates if we put that out every week.
The last time Emery tried it, might have even been the first time, was away at Palace last season. Emery lost his mind that night, looked as if the players had no idea where they were meant to be playing. Including poor old Bailey on at RWB. Bogarde was torched on the left of a three including Konsa and Disasi! It was the most random team selection I recall Emery ever making, Mings left on the bench too.
Wembley and Old Trafford were awful but that display at Selhurst Park was surely our very worst under Emery. 4-1 was very flattering.
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Happy 67h Steve.
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Happy 67h Steve.
Thank you. Up the Villa!!
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she reminds me a bit of Adebayor 🤔
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she reminds me a bit of Adebayor 🤔
A milestone, our first gender-fluid player.
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she reminds me a bit of Adebayor 🤔
A milestone, our first gender-fluid player.
Whoops yes he , sorry
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Evann Almighty?
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Happy 67h Steve.
Harsh, he might look 67 but he's only 58!
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Happy Birthday Steve.
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I hope for SE and CD's sakes that he's made of steel, not glass. https://x.com/NumbToLosing/status/1928064930499932382
They've never been quite the same since Bertie left.
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A touch of the Eze about him
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He looks very quick and skilful and can finish. Some good assists as well.
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I know Im not calling it well - but I cant see any actual links to him
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A touch of the Eze about him
Is that why Palace were looking at him?
Replacement?
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I know Im not calling it well - but I cant see any actual links to him
The BBC, The Athletic, Fabrizio Romano have all said it’s done.
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I hope for SE and CD's sakes that he's made of steel, not glass. https://x.com/NumbToLosing/status/1928064930499932382
They've never been quite the same since Bertie left.
Oof!
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I'm not sure I'm ready to give my heart to another just yet.
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Let’s hope he is as great as pre injury Jimmy Danger. The only other Côte d'Ivoire player in our history*
*nerds might point out that Dane Jores Okore could count as he was born there and has dual citizenship.
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I hope he’s better than that.
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Kodjia was such a frustrating player.
Sgnificant talent, but with absolutely no conception of the fact that sometimes, it makes sense to give the ball to a team mate.
The opposite of Watkins in that sense.
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He was but he was also outrageous by way of the types of goals he scored. A poor man’s Benteke in a sense that he had it all but there were times he’d try to do too much himself. The injury ruined him.
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I remember seeing a link to him in January so I watched his youtube vids and, for me, he's exactly what we need.
[…]
From the highlights I’ve seen, he does that quick ‘receive and turn’ thing that Kamara and Tielemans do in midfield, and has a burst of acceleration to go past defenders ( like Ramsay when he’s in form).
Quite looking forward about seeing him in our team as it appears to show a coherent plan in squad building - he’s well suited to the right or left role bursting into the space between opposition CB and FB. Seems like that would match up well with Ollie in the middle and overlapping full backs giving width.
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What the Bejesus, an actual new signing!
Quite a ride this window is turning into.
Evann on paper/film looks good, better than that other Evan we were being linked with a couple of windows back.
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Looks like a Diaby replacement to me. We need the likes of this guy, Watkins and Malen to stretch teams especially when we're under the pump in away games. I'd expect him to be a high impact sub to begin with.
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I hope he’s better than that.
I was going to say - I liked Kodjia, but even pre-injury I hope this guy is a different level. Kodjia was a good player in the Championship.
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Never heard of the guy until last night - hopefully he will be brilliant for us
It will be interesting to see where Unai plays him in the team
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Never heard of him, although looks flip hot.
AFCON this season isn’t it?
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He looks a top player.
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Would this leave Malen out in the cold?
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Would this leave Malen out in the cold?
I don't think so, need all the options we can get.
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Never heard of him, although looks flip hot.
AFCON this season isn’t it?
Only downside yes. Although we aren't the worse affected for that.
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Would this leave Malen out in the cold?
I don't think so, need all the options we can get.
And as we have seen with Malen, Guessand will need to earn his spot. Based on what we have seen in pre season Malen will start on the right.
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And I like Malen on the right, has a kind of bustling-towards-goal thing going on. Plus he seems to be able to shoot a crosscourt forehand into the far corner like it's easy.
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He looks a fine player, really exciting and Im glad he looks like coming. But as it looks likely that he's be the only big money buy, I'm a little surprised we are spending our budget on a player who looks so similar to JJ and Rogers in style. I thought we might go for a more natural '10' or a rapid right winger.
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Have we loaned him out yet?
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He was but he was also outrageous by way of the types of goals he scored. A poor man’s Benteke in a sense that he had it all but there were times he’d try to do too much himself. The injury ruined him.
What the Bejesus, an actual new signing!
Quite a ride this window is turning into.
Evann on paper/film looks good, better than that other Evan we were being linked with a couple of windows back.
Johnny?
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But as it looks likely that he's be the only big money buy, I'm a little surprised we are spending our budget on a player who looks so similar to JJ and Rogers in style
This time yesterday the consensus was that we weren't making any "big money buys".
So it seems a little premature to decide that this is now it.
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He was but he was also outrageous by way of the types of goals he scored. A poor man’s Benteke in a sense that he had it all but there were times he’d try to do too much himself. The injury ruined him.
What the Bejesus, an actual new signing!
Quite a ride this window is turning into.
Evann on paper/film looks good, better than that other Evan we were being linked with a couple of windows back.
Johnny?
We're sorry, wontcha' come on home.
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He was but he was also outrageous by way of the types of goals he scored. A poor man’s Benteke in a sense that he had it all but there were times he’d try to do too much himself. The injury ruined him.
What the Bejesus, an actual new signing!
Quite a ride this window is turning into.
Evann on paper/film looks good, better than that other Evan we were being linked with a couple of windows back.
Johnny?
We're sorry, wontcha' come on home.
Remember me
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Evann Guessand turned down a 4 year contract worth €34.4m at Saudi club Neom SC in favour of his sporting career — he chose to join Unai Emery’s project at Aston Villa.
@lequipe
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Fair play to him, Neom isn't a project I'd choose to be involved with.
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Talking of Neom, The Line project being worked on is apparently the section that contains the football stadium that will be perched 100metres high and needs to be ready for the CWC/WC in '31/32
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I know Im not calling it well - but I cant see any actual links to him
The BBC, The Athletic, Fabrizio Romano have all said it’s done.
I'm surprised that had any space or time to report this with the Sesko transfer.
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I wonder if it will be a slow integration like Maatsen, Malen and Garcia. Maybe we will only see a bit of him next season. It seems to be Unai’s way
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He was but he was also outrageous by way of the types of goals he scored. A poor man’s Benteke in a sense that he had it all but there were times he’d try to do too much himself. The injury ruined him.
What the Bejesus, an actual new signing!
Quite a ride this window is turning into.
Evann on paper/film looks good, better than that other Evan we were being linked with a couple of windows back.
Johnny?
We're sorry, wontcha' come on home.
Remember me
Ferguson. Of Drogheda via the Hove. Shuffled out on loan at, er, today's opponents it seems.
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I wonder if it will be a slow integration like Maatsen, Malen and Garcia. Maybe we will only see a bit of him next season. It seems to be Unai’s way
On the other hand you have Morgan Rogers.
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I wouldn't have thought so. He won't start vs the Geordies, but will get some time off the bench, I reckon.
Particularly if Bailey is off.
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But as it looks likely that he's be the only big money buy, I'm a little surprised we are spending our budget on a player who looks so similar to JJ and Rogers in style
This time yesterday the consensus was that we weren't making any "big money buys".
So it seems a little premature to decide that this is now it.
Well possibly but there appears to be a distinct lack of noise about incomings.
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There wasn't any noise about this fella until we were about to sign him. We're not sha, we do things rather than just talk about it.
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But as it looks likely that he's be the only big money buy, I'm a little surprised we are spending our budget on a player who looks so similar to JJ and Rogers in style
This time yesterday the consensus was that we weren't making any "big money buys".
So it seems a little premature to decide that this is now it.
Well possibly but there appears to be a distinct lack of noise about incomings.
There was a distinct lack of noise about us signing Guessand, until it suddenly turned out we were.
Who's to say there isn't a centre-back and winger version happening too?
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There might be, but agents seem to leak the stories of interest to drive the price, and there haven't been any other than this one have there?
I read about our interest in this fella last week so its not completely out of the blue.
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I can’t help but think Gestede when I hear his name. Hope he’s far better than how he turned out to be.
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I keep thinking Plastic Bertrand
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Diaby turned down Saudi to join us, we all know how that turned out. Guessard will probably be loaned out for the season and sold on for a profit before 30th June next year.
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I can’t help but think Gestede when I hear his name. Hope he’s far better than how he turned out to be.
I knew nothing about him until yesterday, but that is a seriously low bar to clear. I control the ball better than Rudy could.
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Diaby turned down Saudi to join us, we all know how that turned out. Guessard will probably be loaned out for the season and sold on for a profit before 30th June next year.
I thought it turned out ok? We had a decent first (and only) season with good numbers for goals and assists and we made a profit?
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Diaby turned down Saudi to join us, we all know how that turned out. Guessard will probably be loaned out for the season and sold on for a profit before 30th June next year.
Pretty well as I remember. He was decent, not amazing, we qualified for the Champions League and then sold him on for a bit of a profit
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I’ld be happy to have Diaby back. His pace is exactly what the team needs
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Diaby turned down Saudi to join us, we all know how that turned out. Guessard will probably be loaned out for the season and sold on for a profit before 30th June next year.
Pretty well as I remember. He was decent, not amazing, we qualified for the Champions League and then sold him on for a bit of a profit
It was evident from the January onwards that Diaby didn't want to be here. We did well to make a profit.
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I’d be delighted if he spends one season with us, scores a few goals, we get into champions league, and we sell him for a decent profit. 😀
I’ll be even happier if that sale happens after several seasons if it.
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Birmingham Airport has closed until at least 6pm today after a private aircraft heading to Belfast was forced to make an emergency landing.
Hope he got here earlier.
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Each time I come to Villa Park
To watch the Villa play
I stand up on the Holte End
And cheer and sing and say
Thank Evann for scoring goals
He scores them in the most exciting way
Thank Evann for scoring goals
More and more and more and more each day
With apologies to Maurice Chevalier.
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No need to apologise, the bastard didn't want to come.
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Guessand Guessand Gander
Where shall you wander
Left Wing or Right Wing
Or with Ollie in his chamber
There I met a Blues fan
Who wouldn’t say his prayers
So Mazrim took him by his left leg
And threw him down the stairs.
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Birmingham Airport has closed until at least 6pm today after a private aircraft heading to Belfast was forced to make an emergency landing.
Hope he got here earlier.
🤞💯
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On his way
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gxrsjk0WYAA9Fvb?format=jpg&name=large)
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Nice bracelet.
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Nice bracelet.
One of those copper bracelets for his Arthritis, no doubt.
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Another looker. Well done to all concerned.
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Nice bracelet.
I imagine that's where he got it, yes.
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Nice bracelet.
I imagine that's where he got it, yes.
:)
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I am sure he will find it very easy to fit in with this group. Not only his countrymen in Digne and Kamara but Onana and McGinn look very easy to get on with
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Has he actually signed yet
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Has he actually signed yet
Guessand no.
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They’ll announce it Evanntually
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They’ll announce it Evanntually
that'd be Nice.
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Guess and ho!
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Does he wear a hat?
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I am sure he will find it very easy to fit in with this group. Not only his countrymen in Digne and Kamara but Onana and McGinn look very easy to get on with
French speakers at the club:
Digne
Boubacar
Tielemans
Onana
Bizot - spent 4 seasons in Ligue 1 - must have picked up a smattering
Unai - spoke it when at PSG.
Though he might struggle to understand Meatball, Glasgae isna English
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I though only Spainish speakers were being signed from now on.
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I though only Spainish speakers were being signed from now on.
That’s until we take delivery of the robots #insight
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This one is going on for evann and evann.
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This is becoming the nEVANN-ending story
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So where exactly is this guy? No flight, no - seen at airport or Bodymoor it’s very quiet!
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It’s been a couple of days. Just let it play out.
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Pretty much every transfer goes like this, the story breaks, everything is quiet for a few days then we get a welcome video, shirt pulling pic and monchi gets a pic with them.
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Still stuck circling and waiting for a landing spot at Birmingham Airport.
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He definitely landed, he was seen at WH Smith buying some Evann Water.
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Not sure it's already been mentioned but Guessand turned down an €8.6m a year four year contract from Neon in Saudi to join us. The lad's ambitious. His contract with us is for five years according to the craziest vlog I've just watched from the Ivory Coast.
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Aston Villa is delighted to announce the signing of Evann Guessand.
The forward joins from OGC Nice for an undisclosed fee.
Guessand came through the ranks at the French club and enjoyed a 2024/25 campaign where he scored 12 goals, helping Nice finish fourth in Ligue 1.
The Ivory Coast international, who is a versatile operator capable of playing across the front line, was also named Nice Player of the Season last term.
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We is delighted!
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Woooo
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Good signing.
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gx0hqfgWsAAXdqj?format=jpg&name=large)
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Great signing, now get another defender and I reckon we're ready to go.
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Where is the congrats from BCV?
(https://media.tenor.com/ZMzKkrUnAn4AAAAM/discord-who-asked.gif)
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Lovely stuff, be good please.
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What's going on with SUE's barnet.
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I love when clubs use the word 'undisclosed' in their official announcements. You're the ones not doing the disclosing! I assume it's been disclosed to you, you're just not disclosing it to us! Evanns above.
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Great news, a new centre half and I think that's us done.
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I love when clubs use the word 'undisclosed' in their official announcements. You're the ones not doing the disclosing! I assume it's been disclosed to you, you're just not disclosing it to us! Evanns above.
My biggest issue with the whole undisclosed thing is that the finances are a huge thing for fans now because of PSR so all this does is create guesswork. If FFP and all it's derivatives, are really about financial transparency and fairness then I think the costs of transfers should be public knowledge. Most of the time the fee can be roughly worked out anyway so there's no benefit to hiding it.
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Welcome to the Villa, I hope you’ll be Evann Almighty!
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great signing - brilliant value for money , a player who can play differnt positions , excited about this one .
guessand floats on water .
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Excellent signing.
Really like the way we do our business quietly.
Welcome Evann.
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Guessand £26m plus £4.3m add-ons
Sesko £66.3m plus £7m add-ons
Who's got the better player?
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What's going on with SUE's barnet.
Maybe he’s done one of those bet things where he don’t cut it until we win something
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I love when clubs use the word 'undisclosed' in their official announcements. You're the ones not doing the disclosing! I assume it's been disclosed to you, you're just not disclosing it to us! Evanns above.
My biggest issue with the whole undisclosed thing is that the finances are a huge thing for fans now because of PSR so all this does is create guesswork. If FFP and all it's derivatives, are really about financial transparency and fairness then I think the costs of transfers should be public knowledge. Most of the time the fee can be roughly worked out anyway so there's no benefit to hiding it.
It's like when on news programmes they say 'the news was dominated today by...' - YOU'RE. THE NEWS.
And yeah, the only people it could possibly be worth hiding the money from are other clubs who might be curious about our financials, and I find it deliriously unlikely that they don't know anyway.
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Guessand £26m plus £4.3m add-ons
Sesko £66.3m plus £7m add-ons
Who's got the better player?
No idea, on paper Sesko is amazing but against us, in the euros and in the handful of other games I've watched I haven't seen anything to suggest he's going to be the man to drag Man Utd back up the table. Guessand looks like a Drogba-style late bloomer who could become an absolute menace in the next few years.
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Evann help us! Welcome mate please be good.
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"When I heard the club wanted me I didn't think twice," Guessand said.
"I'm ready to give my all. Every game, every kick, every minute."
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evann help them , I like the look of this guy .I know utube and all that but I dont care I am excited
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Add this guy into our front line and the options are really amazing. A front four of Watkins, JJ, Rogers and Guessand has me so so excited. And loads of quality options/different profiles to come in behind that like McGinn, Malen, Buendia...
I really like windows where it's 1/2 high quality, specific additions. One elite right-sided defender and we're in Top 5 shape again, IMO. We're already in good shape, especially if Bogarde continues his development trajectory.
Roll on the weekend games, I hope Evann gets a run-out.
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To update a banner from any years ago.
'With Evann's help we'lre Shaw to score'
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Guessand £26m plus £4.3m add-ons
Sesko £66.3m plus £7m add-ons
Who's got the better player?
No idea, on paper Sesko is amazing but against us, in the euros and in the handful of other games I've watched I haven't seen anything to suggest he's going to be the man to drag Man Utd back up the table. Guessand looks like a Drogba-style late bloomer who could become an absolute menace in the next few years.
On his track record, you'd have to back Emery improving Guessand more than Amorim and Sesko.
On the evidence of last season, Amorim only seems to make players worse.
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Evann help us! Welcome mate please be good.
Let’s hope it doesn’t turn to Evann knows I’m miserable now!
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Has there been a post lugubriously asking whether we're going to be losing him to AFCON this season? And did anyone answer it?
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Has there been a post lugubriously asking whether we're going to be losing him to AFCON this season? And did anyone answer it?
Never heard of him, although looks flip hot.
AFCON this season isn’t it?
Only downside yes. Although we aren't the worse affected for that.
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His stats from last season compare very favourably with Watkins, yet he dribbles and runs with the ball more too. He wins duels, he defends, his assists and expected assists were great too. He's a Rashford type player, who's younger, cheaper and more keen to impress.
This could be a cracking signing.
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Has there been a post lugubriously asking whether we're going to be losing him to AFCON this season? And did anyone answer it?
Never heard of him, although looks flip hot.
AFCON this season isn’t it?
Only downside yes. Although we aren't the worse affected for that.
Thanks.
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He should be made to wear wrist bands like Alan Evans, one of my favourite players as a kid. Why don’t players wear them anymore. I would, they should make a comeback. Just not head bands life Foster. That’s just weird.
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He’s a unit, and he looks rapid. With Malen, Rogers and Watkins we could really stretch some defences. I’m looking forward to seeing this lad on the pitch
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Will we be able to register him (and Malen) for Europa at the moment?
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Not at the moment I don’t think.
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He’s a unit, and he looks rapid. With Malen, Rogers and Watkins we could really stretch some defences. I’m looking forward to seeing this lad on the pitch
And Ramsey and Bailey (big IF), McGinn, Buendia buzzing around, Tielemans pinging the ball around, Onana carrying from deep and our full backs pushing up....
Life could be interesting this season.
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Why can't we register them?
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Why can't we register them?
Yea Im confused by this.
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I maybe wrong, but I think we have to be neutral or better on “A” squad player costs to register any new players for Europe (vs the last registered squad).
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Malen might be ok, but can’t see how Evann will be.
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If that is the right interpretation of the requirements - I may be wrong.
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Why can't we register them?
The UEFA controls which states changes to A-List have to be a positive transfer value.
The Club agrees to be subject to a sporting restriction and, as a consequence, may not
register any new player on its List A to UEFA club competitions unless the List A Transfer
Balance is positive.
The List A Transfer Balance is defined as the difference between the cost savings from
outgoing players (“Cost savings”) and the new costs from incoming players (“New costs”) at
any applicable deadline for the Club’s submission of its List A
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I maybe wrong, but I think we have to be neutral or better on “A” squad player costs to register any new players for Europe (vs the last registered squad).
Do we get any credit because we're not paying for Rashers, Marco and Axel D any more? I don't really understand what the unit of measurement is, amortised value? / Wage bill / number of followers on insta? Any ideas?
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I suppose the question is do “costs” include the transfer fee or just wages?
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Wouldn't the costs of Rashford, Ascencio and Disasi be coming off the last list we subitted?
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Wouldn't the costs of Rashford, Ascencio and Disasi be coming off the last list we subitted?
Yes and Olsen as well though that may be covered straight away by Bizot.
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Wouldn't the costs of Rashford, Ascencio and Disasi be coming off the last list we subitted?
Their wage costs and potentially loan fee costs. Do transfer fees mean costs?
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8)
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Wouldn't the costs of Rashford, Ascencio and Disasi be coming off the last list we subitted?
Their wage costs and potentially loan fee costs. Do transfer fees mean costs?
Yes, but probably amortised, although that isn't clear and I wouldn't be surprised if it's the full cost given this requirement seems to have been plucked from nowhere.
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Wouldn't the costs of Rashford, Ascencio and Disasi be coming off the last list we subitted?
Their wage costs and potentially loan fee costs. Do transfer fees mean costs?
You’ve got to assume transfer + wages + agent fees are all included. However, I suspect adding Malen and Garcia (as they both have transfer fees to amortise) eats into a lot of the saving from Rash, Asensio and Disasi.
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Looks a cracking signing, really happy with this one.
Welcome to the best in the land, Evann and UTV!!
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Can’t claim any knowledge of him but based on the profile and reports on him, seems like a very smart signing - hope he can hit the ground running.
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Looking forward to seeing Evann, can't wait.
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Welcome Evann, to the best football club ever.
Be brilliant.
Please.
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He’s a unit, and he looks rapid. With Malen, Rogers and Watkins we could really stretch some defences. I’m looking forward to seeing this lad on the pitch
And Ramsey and Bailey (big IF), McGinn, Buendia buzzing around, Tielemans pinging the ball around, Onana carrying from deep and our full backs pushing up....
Life could be interesting this season.
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So, for instance, if we were to sell a player for the same or more than we paid for Evann we could then register him on our A list European squad?
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Welcome aboard Evann and be good.
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Be epic
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He's far from the finished article but what he has already will see him get plenty of minutes. Once he gets some one on one coaching from the same fella Watkins has mentioned a few times, (Pablo?) he can only improve. He's only just turned 24 and is a later bloomer so a bit of patience will be needed but he looks ideal for the PL and his attitude by all accounts is top rate.
Welcome, Boyo!
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"When I heard the club wanted me I didn't think twice," Guessand said.
"I'm ready to give my all. Every game, every kick, every minute."
Full quote ends with him stating Up The Villa. Shows the differences between us and them that to get the fans on board, new signnings are told UTV, whilst over there they are told to say SOTV.
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"When I heard the club wanted me I didn't think twice," Guessand said.
"I'm ready to give my all. Every game, every kick, every minute."
Full quote ends with him stating Up The Villa. Shows the differences between us and them that to get the fans on board, new signnings are told UTV, whilst over there they are told to say SOTV.
Because they are propper fans, not like our mob who shout Viela like a bunch of seals
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There’s a bloke who goes on the All Villa No Filler podcast every summer recommending players we should be after. The last three years his tips have been NDiaye (sp?) who went to Everton, Cherki last summer and… Guessand this year. Adam Tynan I think his name is, knows his stuff.
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There’s a bloke who goes on the All Villa No Filler podcast every summer recommending players we should be after. The last three years his tips have been NDiaye (sp?) who went to Everton, Cherki last summer and… Guessand this year. Adam Tynan I think his name is, knows his stuff.
Assume he focuses on the French league then? Always encouraging to hear recommendations, though!
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Assume he focuses on the French league then? Always encouraging to hear recommendations, though!
N'Diaye was pretty mediocre for Marseille. It was his Sheffield Utd form that would have made anyone interested in him.
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Not quite JPA to Duran, but some encouraging words from his compatriot. https://x.com/krmfoot2/status/1953803740193927417
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Not quite JPA to Duran, but some encouraging words from his compatriot. https://x.com/krmfoot2/status/1953803740193927417
hopefully with more longevity
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Assume he focuses on the French league then? Always encouraging to hear recommendations, though!
N'Diaye was pretty mediocre for Marseille. It was his Sheffield Utd form that would have made anyone interested in him.
Bizarrely, he played against N’Diaye for a Sunday league team in That London when N’Diaye didn’t have a club. I don’t think that was the basis of his recommendation though.
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Didn’t take the no.9 shirt - can we expect another striker this window?
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Didn’t take the no.9 shirt - can we expect another striker this window?
Perhaps he just had a preference for the number he did take.
Or, perhaps he's leaving it for Dominic Calvert-Lewin
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Fuck. As YouTube show reels go, his is very good. Could just be we’ve signed a superstar.
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Welcome Evan - 25-30m is a big price mind.
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Welcome Evan - 25-30m is a big price mind.
It’s not really, at the level we’re trying to compete it’s basically a squad player, certainly for an attacker. That’s not to say he might not go on to be amazing, and worth a lot more, but in terms of price tag it’s that kind of ballpark.
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A bargain really when you consider Manure are expecting to recoup £40m for Rasmus Hojlund - who must be one of the worst striker signings ever.....
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We've had our pants pulled down on this.
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Future Ballon d'Or contender.
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Welcome Evan - 25-30m is a big price mind.
Isn’t it the opposite to “a big price” by today’s standards?
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We've had our pants pulled down on this.
Absolute nonsense. I’ve monitored his career for years; he’s a future Ballon d’Or contender.
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Future Ballon d'Or contender.
Absolute nonsense. I’ve monitored his career for years; we’ve had our pants pulled down on this.
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All bases covered from PWS except one in the middle:
He'll be fine, nowt special and we'll settle into being a top eight team for the time he's here.
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Welcome Evan - 25-30m is a big price mind.
Isn’t it the opposite to “a big price” by today’s standards?
More importantly, can we get this straight right from the start - it’s Evann not Evan!!!
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More importantly, can we get this straight right from the start - it’s Evann not Evan!!!
I'll be particularly disappointed if Eamonn gets it wrong.
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Future Ballon d'Or contender.
Absolute nonsense. I’ve monitored his career for years; we’ve had our pants pulled down on this.
Absolute nonsense. I've monitored your posts for years; our pants are still waist high.
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Future Ballon d'Or contender.
Absolute nonsense. I’ve monitored his career for years; we’ve had our pants pulled down on this.
Absolute nonsense. I've monitored your posts for years; our pants are still waist high.
Speak for yourself.
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More importantly, can we get this straight right from the start - it’s Evann not Evan!!!
I'll be particularly disappointed if Eamonn gets it wrong.
Quite right! I've long-since disowned my E-fada though so maybe I'm not the best moral authority on name bastardisation.
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Was he any good in his brief appearance?
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He was better than Malen. He’s strong too but given he’s had no time in training with the rest of the squad it was difficult to judge him. He got booked quickly not that it matters much.
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Looked handy last night I thought, big unit, but really good touch
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AFCON
Some observations/complaints that Guessand will miss games in Dec/Jan.
Here's the number of AFCON eligible players by club. Might change
0 Arsenal, Leeds, Toon
1 Villa, Chelsea, Liverpool
2 Bournemouth, Brentford, Everton, Fulham, Man City, Spurs
3 Brighton Palace
4 Burnley, ManU, West Ham, Wolves
6 Forest
7 Sunderland
Ghana, Guinness, Guinea-Bissau haven't qualified.
AFCON is 21 Dec - 18 Jan. Fixtures during that periid:
20 Dec ManU H
27 Dec Chelsea A
30 Dec Arsenal H
3 Jan Forest H
7 Jan Palace A
10 Jan FAC 3
12 Jan EFL s/f 1st Leg
17 Jan Everton H
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It’s small beer for those non qualifiers
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Sunderland and Forest 13 between them. Wow! We are playing Forest too.
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No wonder Sunderland have bought 11 new players.
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It’s small beer for those non qualifiers
They didn't provide very stout opposition that's for sure.
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It’s small beer for those non qualifiers
They didn't provide very stout opposition that's for sure.
They should look to draught in some youngsters and rebuild.
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My Goodness My AFCON
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Sunderland and Forest 13 between them. Wow! We are playing Forest too.
AFCON is 21 Dec - 18 Jan, these are our fixtures over thst period
20 Dec ManU H 4 players at AFCON
27 Dec Chelsea A 1
30 Dec Arsenal H nobody
3 Jan Forest H 6
7 Jan Palace A 3
10 Jan FAC 3rd rnd
12 Jan EFL s/f 1st Leg
17 Jan Everton H 2
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There’s only really Aina in their 1st 11 that’s going though. Sangare to a lesser extent I suppose. Does mean they won’t be able to rotate for EL though so will be a tough month for them.
Palace losing Sarr is good though.
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Do we play Palace while it's on? Sarr has haunted us more than anyone since... Robbie Keane?
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We would only avoid playing Sarr if Senegal make at least the last sixteen and possibly the quarter-final. Seem to remember the useless twats getting knocked out in the groups a few years ago so that Ba and Cissé could play, and inevitably score, against us for Newcastle.
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Assuming SaddVillan fixture list is accurate we do…
My thoughts exactly. United lose a few decent players too actually, Mbeumo, Amad, Mazraoui, Onana
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Group Stage: 21st-31 December
Round of 16: 3rd-6th January
Quarter-Finals: 9th-10th January
Semi-Finals: 14th January
Pointless 3rd Place Game: 17th January
Final: 18th January
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The Ivory Coast won it in 2015 and then didn't get passed the group stage in the following tournament. Hopefully the pattern repeats itself and we get him back early.
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What happened to ‘Signed’?
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Been here a while now so no need. Does his name rhyme? Is it Ay-von Gay-son?
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Been here a while now so no need. Does his name rhyme? Is it Ay-von Gay-son?
Not sure how to spell it phonetically but from what I’ve heard on podcasts featuring some France-based football writers, it’s like Devon (but without the D) followed by Gesson, all said in your sexiest French accent. So it does kind of rhyme, but not quite in the way you suggested.
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With the double 'n', I'd expect the second vowel of Evann to be a proper 'a' (as in 'van') rather than a schwa.
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I thought the second "n" was just telling you to pronounce the penultimate one? Didn't know it affected the vowel sound. Where's Bad English when you need him?
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It's a bit out of standard French spelling - there'd normally be an 'e' at the end. But I'd expect it to be pronounced as you would the town 'Vanne', with an 'e' at the front.
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Not sure if correct or whether the additional E in this one makes a difference but.
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Been here a while now so no need. Does his name rhyme? Is it Ay-von Gay-son?
He's not selling cosmetics. I'd expect it to be pronounced like 'Evan' but just has a superfluous, silent 'n', and his surname to sound like 'garçon' but with 'gess' as the first syllable.
SQ's audio suggests his first name is more like 'EEvan'. OTOH we don't hear people asking for 'EEvian' water. Basically, we're none the wiser.
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Évian has an acute. It may as well be a completely different language family. Tsk, honestly.
Thought thinking about it, that makes my initial pronunciation suggestion less likely. Drat.
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We still have the excitement of the “How do you pronounce your name “ video from the EPL to come!
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It's a bit out of standard French spelling - there'd normally be an 'e' at the end. But I'd expect it to be pronounced as you would the town 'Vanne', with an 'e' at the front.
Pleasant town, was there yesterday.
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I'm going to just call him Bob as his name is too difficult. Bob Hfuhruhurr is much easier.
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Reminds me of that joke. Statistics state that one in five siblings is Chinese. Some say it’s Waylin in my family but I’m fairly sure it’s Colin.
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Or the other joke about acute angina
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It's a bit out of standard French spelling - there'd normally be an 'e' at the end. But I'd expect it to be pronounced as you would the town 'Vanne', with an 'e' at the front.
Pleasant town, was there yesterday.
It is indeed. Missed the ‘s’ off Vannes - my bad!
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https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/aug/19/he-can-pull-something-out-of-the-bag-aston-villa-look-to-guessand-for-cutting-edge
The overwhelming takeaway from Aston Villa’s opening game of the season, a goalless draw at home to Newcastle, was that Unai Emery’s side were strangely stale, lacking in sharp edges and devoid of a spark. Villa’s xG – for what it’s worth – was only 0.13. Enter Evann Guessand? Guessand had a watching brief at Villa Park as his new teammates struggled to penetrate the opposition but presumably Emery is tempted to introduce his £30m signing from Nice, a powerful forward with a penchant for eliminating defenders and tearing down the flanks, in search of victory at Brentford this weekend.
For Guessand there are new surrounds, and these remain early days, but the 24-year-old is coming in hot, fresh from a breakout season at Nice where he scored 13 goals in 40 matches (33 of which were starts) and was voted their joint-player of the season after helping the team to fourth in Ligue 1, their highest finish since 2016-17. Guessand’s final goal for Nice came in a 6-0 home win against Brest. The visitors’ goalkeeper that day? Marco Bizot, the 34-year-old Dutchman who is Villa’s only other arrival this summer.
Guessand predominantly featured on the right wing for Nice but also operated off the left, as a No 9 and behind the striker. “He is capable of pulling something out of the bag to make the difference,” says Lilian Nalis, the Nice assistant manager. “If he gets in front of you, it’s difficult for defenders to get him back.”
Last season was his first as a regular starter for Nice, for whom he starred domestically and in the Europa League after loans to Lausanne and Nantes. For Nalis, Guessand’s equaliser at Nantes, where he seized the ball in the box, took the briefest of glances at goal and sent a fizzing left-foot shot into the top corner, stands out. “He’s at his best on the wings because there he can take on people, dribble and accelerate beyond defenders with his speed,” says Nalis, the former Leicester and Plymouth defender who spent six years in England. “Evann, with his goals and assists, had a big part in taking us towards the top.”
Guessand was born in Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica, where his father, Herve, also a striker, played, and joined Nice aged 12 after being spotted at ASPTT Marseille, a multi-sport youth club. From that point Guessand always felt a fondness for Nice, where he was a boarder at the College du Parc Imperial secondary school, mixing with youngsters aged between 11 and 20, 200km from his family home in Marseille. Nice’s then academy director, Alain Wathelet, wanted to gauge Guessand’s talent so asked him to join an Under-14s session, in which he impressed with his dribbling skills and eye for goal. “Within five minutes, we approved him,” says Nice’s pre-academy coach, Pascal Bistarelli, for whom an Under-15s title-deciding match sticks in the memory. “It was 2-2 at half-time and I asked him to increase his level. It finished 6-2, Evann scored a hat-trick.”
Guessand’s education in Nice fuelled his drive to succeed. He was a ballboy and flag bearer at Nice matches and soon grasped the lyrics of Nissa la Bella, Menica Rondelly’s hymn synonymous with the city. “Evann always showed great attachment to Nice, even when he went on loan to Lausanne and Nantes,” says Bistarelli. “He was always determined to play in the Nice first team.” Guessand, who was given his debut against Frejus Saint-Raphael in the Coupe de France by Patrick Vieira in 2020, playing as a left winger, has stayed in touch with Bistarelli; the pair exchanged messages when he signed for Villa and Guessand gave him his shirt for Bistarelli’s birthday.
Guessand represented France at youth level but made his Ivory Coast debut last year. He grew up idolising Didier Drogba and the pair had dinner in Abidjan a few years ago and have remained in contact. But while Guessand has drawn comparisons to Drogba, unlike the former Chelsea player he is not a conventional No 9. “I think if you talk about the power he’s got, I would say yes, they are similar, but they’re not the same kind of player,” says Nalis. “Drogba enjoyed the battle of playing when he had his back to goal, a defender on his back. Evann doesn’t like that so much – he prefers almost hugging the touchline so he can see all the information he needs before making his move.”
Villa tracked Guessand, who rejected a move to the Saudi Pro League side Neom earlier this summer, for 12 months before his arrival. They moved to sign him, amid strong interest from Crystal Palace, before the £39m sale of Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle and Leon Bailey’s expected exit to Roma to prevent the possibility of being quoted an inflated price for a player who had three years remaining on his Nice contract.
illa acknowledge Guessand’s game requires some refinement but they see shades of Morgan Rogers in a player who is also adept at retaining the ball under pressure. Emery admires his versatility, citing his ability to play across the frontline, including as a No 10. “We are watching him, giving him a lot of information about how we want to build the team,” says Villa’s manager. “He is watching our analysis, our matches. I am using him as a striker and winger [in training]. Finding how to best put him into our structure is my job. He is going to help us a lot, hopefully.”
Now Guessand, voted the second-best African player in Ligue 1 last season, behind Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi, plans to build on his promise in the Premier League. “I think England is a step up,” says Nalis. “You get no time to rest; English football will kick your ass if you think you’re going to take your time or if you think you’re going to wait until you’re capable of playing at your high level. You need to perform.
“English football is probably more physical than French but I’ve seen him have some good games against tough guys. I’m looking forward to him showing his skills in England.”
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Didn’t pull up any trees but at least he tried to beat his man which he did a couple of times.
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We have absolutely no way of judging him yet
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Probably our best player out there alongside Mings today.
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Ive no idea if hes any good or not as by the time we'd worked the ball sideways a few times and allowed them to get safely back into shape, he'd end up receiving the ball with two or three players around him.
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Looked a decent player on today's evidence. Got to the byline a few times. We need a midfielder that actually attacks free space in the box on a cut back!
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Looked a decent player on today's evidence. Got to the byline a few times. We need a midfielder that actually attacks free space in the box on a cut back!
Exactly.
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So what did we make of his home debut then?
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So what did we make of his home debut then?
He tried in flashes.
The game passed him by and he occupied space that prevented Maatsen from attacking and putting in crosses.
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I thought hd was trying more than malen who i thought was quite poor as well as rogers. I think he is going to be good ince we soet the issues out in the team
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He was abysmal.
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Yup - I assume/hope he can do better than that. Like I said on another thread, it feels systematic rather than individual. But hopefully much, much, much better to come.
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They put 2 on him and never did he get the chance to go one on one with the right back.
Partly down to good tactics by them and partly down to us not moving the ball quickly enough.
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Going forward he showed flashes of promise but looked easily shoved off the ball, when we didn't have the ball he looked like a schoolboy, didn't know where his runner was, didn't get anywhere near the right defensive shape and his tackling was weak.
Overall, he could have done better. Decent shot mind.
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He did ok for me. Can get better I hope.
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If the team was purring like most of the last 2 seasons he would shine. Every player was dump this evening.
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Looked shite, another one who won't hit the ground running. £30m and £90k a week.
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Come on, you can't already say that. I thought he was poor, but it was 45 fucking minutes. Everyone was shit.
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Looked shite, another one who won't hit the ground running. £30m and £90k a week.
Yeah, I'm going to write him off after his first start. He didn't score or assist, it's just never going to work. Get rid in Jan.
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I honestly didn’t think he was that bad, and was very surprised when he was the one that went off. He stays wide well, clearly has good foot work and beat his man a couple of times. He was way stronger on the ball than anyone else across the front. He had a decent shot as well.
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It was no surprise to anyone on our row that he came off at half time, not because of what he did with the ball, but what he didn't do without it. A team selection Im glad we tried, but it didn't work, that not to say it wont when he's a bit more up to speed.
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I was surprised he didn't get sixty minutes. Just because we are so lacking in numbers.
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Didn't look great . Hopefully there is a player there.
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Going forward he showed flashes of promise but looked easily shoved off the ball, when we didn't have the ball he looked like a schoolboy, didn't know where his runner was, didn't get anywhere near the right defensive shape and his tackling was weak.
Overall, he could have done better. Decent shot mind.
Yup it was the physicality and off the ball work (or lack of) that was the biggest problem. Hopefully that’ll be addressed as he adapts.
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If you aren't physical and don't work off the ball the Premier League isn't for you. Another one who hits the ground crawling.
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It doesn’t help when he’s coming into a team with no attacking intent and a group of players that aren’t really arsed. Bet he’s wondering what the fuck he’s signed up for.
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If you aren't physical and don't work off the ball the Premier League isn't for you. Another one who hits the ground crawling.
Mo Salah hasn’t done too bad.
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Yeah we cant write him off just yet. I mean rogers looked shit yesterday and i would argue looked worse than guessand. Definitely needs a bit of time for sure
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Compare to Pino who Palace bought for less!!
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Malen was worse in the first half.
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Compare to Pino who Palace bought for less!!
both are a gamble in terms of Premier League quality.
But attacking players generally look better in teams who know how to attack.
We could put Yamal in our team last night and he wouldn’t have a clue.
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I hope Malen, Guessand and Watkins don't turn in to Ayew, Traore and Gestede.
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I think he was sacrificed for the formation rather than because he was any more shit than the rest if them.
Needed Emi2’s buzzing around in front of their defence. For a while it looked like the change might actually work.
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Thought he worked really hard yesterday. Did alot of defensive work which was good to see. But on the downside he didnt look good when he had the ball.
Its still early days so we cabt right him off but he is struggling with the attacking side of his game thus far. Hopefully once he gets more game time we will see how good he was for nice
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Massively helped Cash out with Grealish when he came on - Surprised how well he did defensively tbh.
Big fella who I think can put himself around..... Just needs 'Bailey level' support from Unai to allow him to have a run in the team and find some form.
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He got a massive bollocking for not getting back into shape after a rare attack though.
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What are his qualities?
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Potential. He's work in progress, it will take a bit of time, certainly not one right now to be starting games.
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He offers a bit more strength in the middle, I like him. Wound up Grealish too it seemed but that isn’t difficult.
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What are his qualities?
A glorious slide tackle for one.
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Seems massively over priced and over paid then.
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Workmanlike
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He's played what, two and a bit games? What is wrong with some people?
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Potential? He’s 24.
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i would like to have a look at him centrally
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He's played what, two and a bit games? What is wrong with some people?
The good thing about Fabrizio Romano's tweets is that you get to write off new Villa players before they arrive at BMH.
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123 minutes isn't enough to judge a player on. If it was, you'd really help the recruitment team with such expertise.
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Biggest flop since Onana.
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He looks as much of a threat going forward as samba was.
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Well done Monchi.
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Absolutely looked like a competition winner tonight.
Great use of limited funds.
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The sort of player we used to buy when we were crap.
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Another window where we sign no one who can improve the first team. We've gone backwards massively, Monchi and his dog shit scouting.
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Hes Bailey replacement - which based on last seasons version he probably on par ;-)
Im sure he has plenty to offer - too early to judge
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Yep, he looked utterly and completely out of his depth. Ace.
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Joelinton used to be shit up front.Maybe we......nah fuck it
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Wow…just wow! This guy is breathtakingly bad.
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Mad how quickly he's being written off.
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Mad how poor he looks.
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It is.
For a signing that was regarded as a bit of a coup, he’s not shown anything to make you think he’s going to improve.
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i didn’t think he looked that bad. 😳😃
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I’m not holding out hope for this guy.
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Wait until he wins the Ballon D'or!
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Think we need to see him in his right position before we come out with silly hyperbole. He wasn't great apart from the chance he set up for Sancho.
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Somewhat Bertrand Traoresque albeit without the tricks, which isn’t a great barometer.
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Think we need to see him in his right position before we come out with silly hyperbole. He wasn't great apart from the chance he set up for Sancho.
People say that about Malen too….
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Malen didn't look too bad last season. He has regressed massively this season.
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Joelinton used to be shit up front.Maybe we......nah fuck it
Made me chortle.
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Somewhat Bertrand Traoresque albeit without the tricks, which isn’t a great barometer.
He makes Berti look like prime Lionel Messi.
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Somewhat Bertrand Traoresque albeit without the tricks, which isn’t a great barometer.
He makes Berti look like prime Lionel Messi.
Yep. It’s only 3 games and he’s trying to adapt to a totally new system. Twice tonight he was looking for a ball over the top to run at. That ball was never played.
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Rogers struggled in his early games too. Might just be nerves, let's hope so.
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Rogers struggled in his early games too. Might just be nerves, let's hope so.
Nerves, clutching at straws a bit.
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I think unai should have switched him with malen. Guessand looks more of a striker and malen is crap up top.
But he has looked average so far. He cabt beat a man whoch is worrying. He looks worse than bailey did when he 1st game which is aworry. Man what i would give for diaby back
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1st touch like a Blackpool beach donkey. He would sink as a Striker leading the line.
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His first touch is certainly poor but a bit early to write him off yet.
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Yeah, some hysterical overreactions on here.
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Wait until he wins the Ballon D'or!
;D
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Poor bloke surrounded every time he gets the ball. Not sure what people expect of him just yet.
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Poor bloke surrounded every time he gets the ball. Not sure what people expect of him just yet.
Indeed, but when he wasn't he'd just run into the nearest defender and lose it.
The contrast with the lad that replaced him couldn't have been more stark.
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I think the problem is that him and the players around him aren't quite on the same wavelength yet. Last night he clearly wanted the ball in behind to run onto and the one time he got a really good pass to set him away it led to Sancho hitting the post.
Most of the time he was getting the ball into feet to either play a pass back or turn and run and he struggled with the latter a little because he wanted more time than he was getting. The premier league is, by a fair distance, the strongest league in the world and one thing defenders have to learn to survive is to not let attackers get turned without a challenge. This means forwards and wingers coming in then have to learn how to ride that early challenge. He's big enough and strong enough to get there, he just needs to work on it. A run of games will help him so I hope he gets given that chance before we dump him as not good enough.
Aside from that I thought Henry played excellently and was their best player by a long way, which made it tougher for Guessand to get into the game as well, and with them playing a back 5 there was less space to begin with.
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Early days. Seems to have the physical presence for the league as he is bogged down in a scrap most of the time. Got free in the second half when we should have scored, poked Cash through only for the bugger the check back.
He needs time, he'll get it from me.
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I don’t think it’s his fault. Our players rarely find themselves in any space. At times he was tripled up on and I still couldn’t see another player in space.
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Early days. Seems to have the physical presence for the league as he is bogged down in a scrap most of the time. Got free in the second half when we should have scored, poked Cash through only for the bugger the check back.
He needs time, he'll get it from me.
It'll never catch on.
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I don’t think it’s his fault. Our players rarely find themselves in any space. At times he was tripled up on and I still couldn’t see another player in space.
Sancho has the technical ability to get out of those tight spots quickly.
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I don’t think it’s his fault. Our players rarely find themselves in any space. At times he was tripled up on and I still couldn’t see another player in space.
Sancho has the technical ability to get out of those tight spots quickly.
And from what I recall, created less than Guessand.
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I don’t think it’s his fault. Our players rarely find themselves in any space. At times he was tripled up on and I still couldn’t see another player in space.
Sancho has the technical ability to get out of those tight spots quickly.
And from what I recall, created less than Guessand.
I'm not sure what that has to do with anything. If we keep losing the ball like Guessand did it's impossible to get any kind of forward momentum. He didn't exactly lay that one on for Sancho either. Kind of bunged it behind Malen, one of their defenders didn't clear it properly and Sancho ran onto it.
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I don’t think it’s his fault. Our players rarely find themselves in any space. At times he was tripled up on and I still couldn’t see another player in space.
Absolutely this. Our attacking players never get the ball in space, we're so slow moving it around that by the time they get it the opposition are always firmly back in shape. Its doing none of them any favours and needs changing asap.
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I'm not sure what that has to do with anything.
Well, it means that for all your praise of “Sancho getting out of tight spots”, nothing came from it. You brought up the comparison, not me.
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It’s hardly been the most conducive environment to settle in and play well. He needs way more time.
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He has an excellent attitude, decent pace and good strength. He definitely can make a success of his time in the PL. At times he does seem a bit flailing arms and legs, trying to bring the ball under control but in the short time I've been watching he's hardly ever afforded much time on the ball. Hopefully, he'll adapt.
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He's interested, searching for the ball, he's trying stuff and opponents are worried as they double mark him, as we had with Bailey we need to expose the gaps that are left.
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Don't think this fella has it.
Would rather have Bert out wide and who may, let's be honest, get 7 out of 10 things wrong (some of them comically). But would then cut in from an impossible angle and smash one in the top corner.
In fact I think I'd rather have Tres (2025 version) over this bloke.
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No pace, shit first touch, can’t shoot, other than that he looks decent.
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He looks like the shit American forward Saints bought from Bundesliga 2 in the summer
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Bert didn't get things wrong; he occasionally struggled to adjust to a lesser reality.
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How much have we wasted on him?
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This all seems pretty harsh to me and I'm not exactly the most optimistic bloke in the world.
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Looked rubbish. No better than a shit Bailey. Hopefully gets better but can't see it tbh.
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We have to play him into form, there's definitely enough to work on.
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Thing is Bailey, Bert, Tres and even Nigel Callaghan all showed glimpses at least in their first few games.
This guy has shown nowt.
Happy just to be there. Running around. Nuisance value.
Not the same as workrate.
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I’d rather have Berti back. Who in their wisdom thought this player was going to improve us? He’s not even Championship standard.
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He did ok and at least had a go. He’s been here 5 minutes and already he’s a target.
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I'm not writing him off yet.
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I can only go on the highlights but most of our best chances seemed to stem from him.
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This all seems pretty harsh to me and I'm not exactly the most optimistic bloke in the world.
It's way, way, OTT. I think some watched a different game. People on his back from day one
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Looks like a competition winner to me.
We’re having to watch every penny yet still opt to drop 20m on this dude.
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Fucking hell, we won folks.
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Have you noticed how many markers he has when he gets the ball? 2 or 3 most times. He's been here 5 minutes, not match fit by any means, you can see he's blowing out his arse around 60 minutes, I actually think he's doing ok considering. A lot better than Rogers.
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I didn't think that much of Rogers in his first few starts but he grew into it. Give the lad time, he's adjusting to everything right now.
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Fucking hell, we won folks.
This thread is about a particular player.
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A player who played in our greatest victory for four months and has been a vital part of our two match unbeaten "invincibles" run.