An Evann Guessand Crystal Palace loan return is on the table, with the Eagles in talks to re-sign the Aston Villa forward on a season-long deal, according to BBC Sport’s Sami Mokbel. The 25-year-old Ivory Coast international spent the second half of last season at Selhurst Park and was part of the squad that lifted the Conference League in May, so this is a pursuit with plenty of history behind it — and a twist, given Palace opted not to take up an option to sign him earlier in the summer.
Here is what you’ll learn in this deep dive:
- What BBC Sport is reporting about the proposed season-long loan
- How Guessand’s first spell at Selhurst Park unfolded
- Where he would fit in Pierre Sage’s reshaped squad
- The questions that still hang over the deal — and what happens next
Background: a Selhurst story that never quite ended
Guessand only joined Aston Villa in August last year, but his £26m move to the Midlands never really caught fire. As the BBC notes, he endured an underwhelming start to life at Villa Park, scoring two goals in 21 appearances in all competitions before Palace offered him an escape route in January.
At Selhurst Park, things clicked quickly. Guessand scored his first Premier League goal for the club in a 1-0 win over Wolves and came off the bench in the Conference League final as Palace beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in Leipzig to win the club’s first European trophy. In a quirk of the regulations, he also finished the campaign with a Europa League winner’s medal, having made enough appearances for Unai Emery’s side before Villa went on to lift that trophy.
He then made two substitute appearances for the Ivory Coast at this summer’s World Cup before returning to Villa for pre-season — because, as the BBC reports, Palace did not take up their option to sign him permanently earlier in the window. Guessand’s future has been a running theme of Palace’s summer, and this latest development suggests the story has one more chapter in it yet.
Why an Evann Guessand Crystal Palace loan makes sense
A known quantity in a squad full of new faces
Pierre Sage’s first summer in SE25 has been busy. Oscar Mingueza arrived in July, Takehiro Tomiyasu followed on a free transfer last week, and on Tuesday the club completed a rare swap deal that brought Dwight McNeil in from Everton with Brennan Johnson heading the other way. Maxence Lacroix, meanwhile, departed for Chelsea earlier in the window.
That is a lot of change for a new head coach to manage, and it is exactly why a returning loanee holds such appeal. Guessand knows the dressing room, knows the demands of the Premier League and arrives with a Conference League winner’s medal earned in Palace colours. For a side about to embark on its first Europa League league-phase campaign — the reward for that Leipzig triumph — a forward who needs no settling-in period is a genuinely useful piece.
What he showed in his first spell
Guessand’s half-season in South London was short, but it left an impression. Arriving in January with his confidence dented by that difficult start at Villa Park, he settled quickly into a dressing room chasing history on two fronts. The goal against Wolves — the winner in a 1-0 victory — was the kind of contribution that sticks with supporters, and his cameo from the bench in the Leipzig final means his name is stitched into the biggest night the club has ever had.
Just as importantly for Sage, he proved he could contribute without being an automatic starter: trusted in big moments, effective in rotation, and never a disruptive presence when left out. Those are precisely the qualities managers look for when adding to a squad that already has established first choices, and they explain why Palace’s recruitment staff have kept coming back to him all summer.
Depth for a season fought on multiple fronts
Palace’s front line already features Jean-Philippe Mateta, Eddie Nketiah, club-record signing Jørgen Strand Larsen, Ismaïla Sarr, Yéremy Pino and now McNeil. On paper that looks well-stocked, but the 2026-27 calendar tells a different story: Premier League, Europa League league phase, two domestic cups and, Palace fans will hope, deep runs in several of them.
Last season showed how quickly attacking depth gets stretched across a European campaign, and Guessand’s ability to fill in across the forward positions made him a valuable rotation option during his first spell. Sage will want genuine competition for places without blocking the pathway of his first-choice front men, and a loan addition fits that brief neatly.
The financial logic
A season-long loan also carries obvious appeal on the balance sheet. Palace have already committed significant money this window, and a temporary deal for Guessand would add a proven, squad-ready forward without another permanent outlay. No fee structure, loan terms or any option or obligation to buy have been reported at this stage, and none should be assumed until a named outlet confirms them.
The complications: why this deal is not done yet
It is worth pausing on one obvious question: if Palace liked Guessand enough to want him back, why did they pass on their option to sign him earlier in the summer? The BBC report does not say, and supporters should be wary of filling that gap with guesswork. It may have been about price, squad planning, or simply the sequencing of a busy window — but that decision is the reason he returned to Villa for pre-season rather than staying in South London.
There is also Villa’s side of the equation to consider. Guessand remains their player, signed for £26m only a year ago, and they will have their own views on whether a loan, a sale or another season in their own squad best serves them. Talks, as the BBC carefully frames it, are exactly that — talks. Palace fans have already seen this window how quickly a deal can wobble, collapse and revive, with McNeil’s saga running from a failed February move all the way to Tuesday’s completed swap.
What happens next
The window remains open, and the direction of travel is encouraging: a tier-one outlet reporting active talks over a defined structure — a season-long loan — is a firmer footing than the more speculative links of recent weeks. If the clubs find agreement, Guessand would become the second player this summer to complete a Palace move at the second attempt, following McNeil’s arrival six months after his own collapsed transfer.
For the player, the appeal is easy to see too. A season of regular involvement in a settled, successful side — with European football on Thursday nights and a World Cup cycle still fresh — is a far better platform than fighting for minutes at Villa Park after a difficult first year there. Loans work best when club and player both need the move, and on the available evidence this one qualifies on both counts.
Expect clarity relatively quickly either way. With the new Premier League season imminent and Sage keen to settle his squad before the Europa League league phase begins, Palace’s recruitment team have shown this window that they move decisively once a deal is deemed right. If talks progress, a familiar face could be back in red and blue before the deadline.
Conclusion
An Evann Guessand Crystal Palace loan would reunite a Conference League winner with the club where he rediscovered his form, at minimal risk and at a moment when Sage needs bodies for a four-competition season. Nothing is agreed yet, and the unanswered question of that unexercised option lingers — but this is a sensible, logical pursuit that most Palace fans will welcome. For all the latest on the Eagles’ window, keep up with Crystal Palace transfer news at ReadCrystalPalace.
