For all the success that Aston Villa have had under Unai Emery, including winning the Europa League earlier this year, there have been plenty of mistakes made in the recruitment department.
It is virtually impossible to hit the nail on the head with every single signing, of course, which is why clubs tend to be busy whenever a transfer window opens for business.
The likes of Alejandro Garnacho, Ibrahim Mbaye, and Nicolas Jackson, for example, will be hoping that they do not go down as Villa flops in the long run after joining in the summer.
One player who may already be viewed as a flop, however, is Ivorian attacker Evann Guessand, who joined Crystal Palace on a season-long loan over the summer.
Why Evann Guessand is an Aston Villa flop
In the summer of 2025, the Villans swooped to sign the versatile attacker from Nice for a fee of around £30m after he had produced 12 goals and nine assists in 33 Ligue 1 matches in the 2024/25 campaign.
Unfortunately, the 25-year-old winger was unable to carry that form over to English football and only scored two goals in 21 matches in all competitions during the first half of the season for Villa.
|
25/26 Premier League |
Evann Guessand |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
13 |
|
Shots per game |
0.6 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Key passes per game |
0.3 |
|
Assists |
1 |
|
Successful dribbles per game |
0.5 |
|
Dispossessed per game |
1.3x |
His struggles at the top end of the pitch for Emery’s side in his first six months with the Villans led to the club opting to loan him out to Premier League rivals Palace for the second half of the campaign.
Guessand scored two goals in 14 matches for the Eagles, including a late winner against Wolves in the Premier League, and that was enough to convince them to re-sign him in the summer.
The Ivorian forward is now on loan at Selhurst Park and the Eagles have a conditional obligation to sign him permanently for an undisclosed fee, which means that his Villa career could be totally over next summer after scoring just two goals for the club.
Aston Villa forward is just as bad as Guessand
Guessand, however, is far from the only Aston Villa signing in recent times who has failed to prove his worth for the club in the Premier League.
In fact, one of their signings in 2026 is already well on his way to following in the Palace loanee’s footsteps because of his disappointing performances for Emery’s side.
Back in January, Villa swooped to sign former England international Tammy Abraham from Besiktas in a deal worth around £18.2m, after they allowed Donyell Malen to join Roma on loan.
The former Chelsea striker also put pen to paper on a deal worth £140k-per-week, which means that he has earned just over £5m since signing for the club.
Villa, though, have not got enough value back from the £23m that they have spent on him in wages and transfer fees combined, as he has struggled this year.
The 29-year-old centre-forward arrived as an experienced Premier League campaigner, having played for Chelsea and Swansea in the past, but he has yet to deliver consistently in the division since returning to Villa Park.
|
Abraham (Premier League) |
25/26 |
26/27 |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
12 |
4 |
|
xG |
2.04 |
0.0 |
|
Goals |
2 |
0 |
|
Big chances missed |
3 |
0 |
|
Key passes per game |
0.3 |
0.0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
0 |
|
Duel success rate |
48% |
50% |
Surely now one of NSWE’s poorest investments since becoming owners, Abraham’s return of two goals and no assists in 16 appearances in the Premier League this year is far from an impressive return, and does not seem like value for money when weighed against the £23m spent on his services so far.
The English marksman scored two goals in the League Cup against Coventry City last month, to his credit, but he has yet to deliver a single goal contribution in the league this season.
Abraham has been just as bad this year as Guessand was for Villa in 2025. Both players were attackers signed for significant fees and neither have been able to prove their worth to Villa by producing consistently in front of goal.
Whilst there is still time for the England international to turn things around, as he will still be available until January at the earliest, the start of his career at Villa Park has not gone the way that anyone would have wanted.
On current evidence, Abraham’s move to the club looks like money wasted by Villa, and it is now down to him to change that narrative by delivering on the pitch.