It was no shock Paris St-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi was named as one of the best African participant in France’s Ligue 1. After all of the Moroccan might be the best right-back on the planet.
What ought to achieve extra consideration is who completed second within the Marc-Vivien Foe Award. Meet 23-year-old sensation Evann Guessand. Not less than eight Premier League golf equipment, together with a few of these vying to qualify for the Champions League, have proven curiosity in shopping for him.
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The Ivory Coast worldwide, who has been likened to his hero Didier Drogba, is the second highest-rated ahead in French soccer proper now behind PSG’s prolific Ousmane Dembélé.
Guessand performs for Good, the place he has been spearheading their bid to qualify for the Champions League. The probabilities are, although, that he won’t be there subsequent season. There was sturdy curiosity in him in January from the Premier League and that’s solely anticipated to accentuate dramatically this summer season.
Actually the scouting division at each Premier League membership is conscious of Guessand’s potential and have mentioned him. How extremely he’s rated has been flagged by their scouts and thru the info. The curiosity from Aston Villa and West Ham United has already been reported however there are a minimum of six different Premier League golf equipment hovering.
West Ham and Aston Villa are stated to be among the many golf equipment curious about Guessand – Getty Pictures/Anthony Bibard
There’s additionally competitors from half a dozen Bundesliga golf equipment, however the expectation is that Guessand would favor a transfer to England, with a payment of as much as €40 million (£33.4 million) being mooted. In in the present day’s inflated market it’s a deal that seems extremely engaging.
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Together with 22-year-old Hugo Ekitike, the France Underneath-21 worldwide who performs for Eintracht Frankfurt, and Porto’s Samu Aghehowa, who’s simply 21, Guessand is thought to be considered one of Europe’s greatest younger attacking abilities.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s French striker Hugo Ekitike is considered one of Europe’s brightest prospects – Getty Pictures/Christof Koepsel
There’s additionally Jonathan David, slightly older at 25, who is ready to go away Lille when his contract expires on the finish of this season – with high Italian golf equipment Inter Milan or Juventus believed to be the Canada worldwide’s most certainly vacation spot though, once more, there’s sturdy curiosity from the Premier League.
However it’s Guessand who’s creating the best buzz. Actually, Lille had hoped to signal him to exchange David, however greater golf equipment are actually within the bidding.
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Guessand, who was born in Ajaccio and performed for France at youth stage earlier than opting to change to the African nation, is robust and direct and has been likened to Drogba. There’s a {photograph} of the 2 assembly, 4 years in the past within the Ivorian metropolis of Abidjan, the place they’d dinner collectively they usually have stayed in contact ever since.
Guessand and Didier Drogba (left), his childhood hero, have turn into mates over the previous 4 years
Actually Guessand, who began within the Good academy as a left winger on the age of 13, is described as one thing of a “sponge”, when it comes to his want to study and enhance. Famously, he would shoot a ball in opposition to a wall for hours having heard that it was a routine Dimitar Berbatov used to enhance his contact.
Drogba has turn into one thing of a sounding board for Guessand. “While you obtain recommendation from a striker as bodily as him, you hear,” Guessand stated, though scouts have usually likened his model to a mixture of Drogba and one other former Chelsea striker, Nicolas Anelka, as he additionally prefers to drop deeper to be concerned within the play and never simply be an out-and-out No 9.
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Actually he has, along with his dynamism and want to cowl the space, been likened to Villa’s Morgan Rogers, who is ready to turn into a key participant for England below Thomas Tuchel.
There have been provides final summer season and never least from Francesco Farioli, who left Good for Ajax and wished Guessand to affix him on the Dutch Eredivisie membership, hailing him as a “implausible participant and an unbelievable particular person”. Vincent Kompany, now Bayern Munich’s coach, tried to signal him for Anderlecht in 2021 after which, two years later, for Burnley. Kompany is among the many coaches who has continued to trace Guessand’s progress.
Regardless of scoring 12 objectives and with 9 assists and having been third within the variety of minutes performed in Ligue 1, Guessand fell out of favour in current weeks, which can additionally counsel he’s leaving. Even so, final week he was additionally named the membership’s participant of the season and is undoubtedly Good’s Most worthy asset. The membership are conscious of his ambitions and won’t stand in his means if the fitting provide is made.
Good won’t stand in Guessand’s means if an acceptable provides is available in – Getty Pictures/Anthony Bibard
Coach Franck Haise has left him out however denied it was as a result of he feared the participant’s consideration was elsewhere. “We all know that Evann can be one of many gamers who is very wanted… like different French golf equipment now we have to promote to purchase this summer season,” Haise protested.
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Guessand was, nonetheless, introduced again for Good’s ultimate league sport of the season on Saturday and performed a key function – with a objective and an help – as they secured a Champions League place by beating Brest.
The “subsequent chapter”, based on those that know him, is for Guessand to play overseas and the Premier League is his dream vacation spot. In what is ready to be an especially busy summer season for English golf equipment, Guessand is ready to emerge as one of many key switch targets.
