Villa complete £30m signing of Nice striker Guessand

Evann Guessand has nine caps for the Ivory Coast

Aston Villa have completed the signing of Nice striker Evann Guessand for £26m plus £4.3m in add-ons.

The 24-year-old Ivory Coast forward scored 12 goals last term and was named player of the season as Nice finished fourth in France's Ligue 1.

The France-born attacker boosts Unai Emery's striking options at Villa Park, with Ollie Watkins the only recognised centre forward in the Spaniard's squad.

Emery was keen to reinforce his attack following the departures of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio following the expiry of their loan spells at the end of last season.

"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."

Guessand's arrival is Villa's second first-team signing of the summer, following the acquisition of goalkeeper Marco Bizot from French club Brest.

Villa's summer transfer window has been impacted by the club's need to comply with Premier League and Uefa financial rules.

The club were fined by Uefa earlier this summer for breaching the European governing body's squad cost ratio rules.

Villa were fined an initial £9.5m, with a further £12.9m fine conditional on compliance over a three-year period.

'Drogba comparisons are inevitable but premature'

Guessand has made steady progress towards the highest level in recent years.

After a slow start, he took a significant step forward in the 2024-2025 season under the direction of Franck Haise at Nice.

He showed speed and the ability to beat people on the right flank, but also made great progress in finishing when used as a centre forward. His heading game is also improving, even if it's not his first rate at the moment.

His form dropped off a little at the end of the season, but that didn't impact his progress. Only Paris St-Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi beat him to the Marc-Vivien Foé Award for Ligue 1's best African Player of the Year 2025.

Guessand's style of play and nationality has led to inevitable comparisons with Didier Drogba. There are similarities, given Guesand's combination of power and technical quality.

But Drogba was a more accomplished striker when he joined Chelsea in 2004 following a breakthrough campaign with Marseille the season before.

Rashford's replacement?

Guessand promises to be a versatile acquisition that can help replicate Rashford's role in Emery's squad.

Like Rashford, Guessand can play across the front line, as well as at number 10.

Only 10 of his 30 Ligue 1 starts last season came at centre-forward, but he also made eight starts on the right wing and nine as a support striker.

As a result, Guessand provided eight assists in addition to scoring 12 times, all from open play last term. Only five players were involved in more goals in the French top flight.

The nine-cap Ivory Coast international's numbers compare well to those of Watkins and Rashford, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Villa Park.

Guessand outperformed his expected goals tally by more than either Watkins or Rashford, but the key point of difference is that he is a more prolific dribbler, leading to significantly more involvement in terms of touches on the ball.

Depending on how he is used, Nice's reigning player of the year can also offer more defensively in terms of winning duels and regaining possession – particularly in the opposition third – making him a versatile asset for the campaign ahead.