Evann Guessand’s second spell at Crystal Palace is now approaching a crucial point, with questions growing over whether the forward will be forced back into Pierre Sage’s plans before January.
The 25-year-old returned to Selhurst Park on loan from Aston Villa this summer, but his opportunities were quickly limited under the Palace manager.
Guessand has managed just 54 minutes of Premier League action so far, while Sage has called for a better response from the public after being unhappy with his performance against Manchester City.
Sage is a current offering “full” The conversation with Guessand comes from former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown’s assessment of the situation rather than a direct quote from the Crystal Palace manager.
Brown believes that Guessand has fallen well below Palace’s order and raised the possibility of a credit review in January if its position does not improve.
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Why Sage is described as “fed up” from Guessand
This statement comes not from Pierre Sage himself, but from the assessment of former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown. Brown believes several Palace players are now ahead of Guessand and his situation could be reassessed in January.
How did Guessand get to this point?
Guessand’s current situation is even more remarkable when looking at his recent career as a whole.
Less than a year ago, he was coming off the best season of his career in France. That earned him a big move to Aston Villa in the Premier League, but what followed was a stop-start period with Villa and now two spells with Palace.
Sage has already sent a clear message to Guessand
The current problem isn’t just that Guessand failed at team selection.
Sage made it clear that Guessand and Dwight McNeil were unhappy with what they saw against Manchester City.
“They (Quessand and Dwight McNeil) weren’t in the squad because I wasn’t happy with their performance when they came on against Manchester City. It’s my decision, a sporting decision.”
This removed much of the mystery surrounding Guessand’s absence. Sage makes football decisions and demands more from the forward.
Most importantly, Sage didn’t say she was “fed up” with Guessand. This description derives from Brown’s interpretation of the situation and should be viewed as such.
The Palace manager has not closed the door on Guessand outright, but the competition around him is making the challenge increasingly difficult.
Competition for places makes life difficult
The final concern for Guessand is that his route back to the sideline is getting narrower, not wider.
Brown believes four Palace players can now outshine the forward in Sage’s line-up, while the availability of other attacking options increases the competition.
Again, this is Brown’s assessment rather than Sage’s own statement. What is understood is that the Palace manager was unhappy with Guessand’s contribution to the game against Manchester City and subsequently left him out.
The task for Guessand is therefore clear. When another opportunity comes, he has to make it count.
January can be an important decision point
That’s why talk of January starts to make sense without assuming an early exit is inevitable.
Guessand still has time to turn the season around. A run of games, injuries elsewhere on the team or one strong performance can quickly change his position.
His previous Palace spell is proof of how quickly this can happen. Guessand came off the bench against Wolves in February to score a 90th-minute winner at Selhurst Park – his first goal for the club.
But come January and his Premier League presence remains minimal, it could be a decision for all three parties.
Palace had to assess whether a loan extension would benefit their squad, whether Aston Villa’s Guessand would be better served elsewhere and where the player himself was most likely to play regular football.
Guessand still has the ability to change the story
The important difference is that Sage challenges Guessand instead of outright rejecting him.
His journey over the past 18 months shows how quickly a player’s position can change. A breakthrough campaign at Nice earned him a move to the Premier League, troubles at Villa prompted Palace to offer him another opportunity and a memorable late win over Wolves showed what he can offer at Selhurst Park.
Palace then decided to bring him back for a second spell, but his start to the new season left him fighting for a place again.
The next turn on that journey is still in Guessand’s hands.
If he meets Sage’s demands and starts contributing, January may pass without a hitch.
However, if he remains on the sidelines, it will become increasingly difficult to ignore the possibility that his credit status will be reassessed.