As it finalises the departure of Evann Guessand, OGC Nice would like to express its pride and its gratitude towards the player himself and towards everyone who has supported him along the way. Having joined Le Gym’s pre-academy as a 12-year-old, he now leaves the club as a Côte d’Ivoire international.

Guessand’s commendable career path is an example of resilience for every young Rouge et Noir player to follow. Having worked his way through the club’s youth ranks, the striker made his professional debut in a Coupe de France game away to ÉFC Fréjus Saint-Raphaël on 5th January 2020, before going out on loan to FC Lausanne-Sport – where he would rack up seven goals and five assists in 35 appearances during the 2020–21 season – followed by a return to Nice and a memorable first Ligue 1 goal against Lyon on 24th October 2021. In the wake of his solid maiden campaign as part of the first team on the Côte d’Azur, Guessand was loaned out again in 2022–23, this time to FC Nantes, where he notched up five goals and two assists in 44 appearances before coming back to Nice even stronger. He would end the 2023–24 season with seven goals in 38 games and a first-ever cap for the Côte d’Ivoire before extending his contract that summer and enjoying an explosive 2024–25 season, with his 13 goals in 42 games earning him the joint title of Aiglon of the Season alongside Youssouf Ndayishimiye.

In order to stay true to its word, the OGC Nice board has allowed Guessand to leave the club this summer for Aston Villa FC, last season’s sixth-placed team in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League quarter-finalists.

Thank you, Evann, for everything that you’ve accomplished at Le Gym after 109 appearances and 21 goals as a professional. You’ll always be welcome back at Nice, and we wish you good luck for the rest of your career!