Some Crystal Palace fans on social media were – and still are – concerned over the fact Evann Guessand disappeared from the Crystal Palace website this week.
After Pierre Sage left the Ivory Coast international out of the UEFA Europa League squad, some fans began to panic as the former Nantes star then vanished from the first-team squad page on the official CPFC website, and also the official app.
It led some to believe that Guessand’s loan move from Aston Villa had been terminated, but the 25-year-old can quite clearly be seen in the latest footage of training.
Thoughts on Sage’s Europa League exclusions? 🤔
Guessand must be gutted… 😢
Evann Guessand sighting should ease concern from supporters
We doubt Guessand was pleased to be left out of the UEFA Europa League squad, given the fact he specifically spoke about his excitement for the competition in August.
However, it was always highly unlikely that Sage’s verdict would lead to Guessand’s loan being terminated.
Such a decision surely would have led to Crystal Palace having to pay a penalty, while the closure of the transfer window means the man born in Ajaccio would just be stuck at Villa Park until January if he returned to the Midlands now.
The Aston Villa loanee could be seen on several occasions throughout the latest training video, which was uploaded by Crystal Palace on Thursday 3rd September.
Guessand’s absence from the squad list on the official website and app is most likely due to a technical error, and we would expect it to be sorted imminently.
His absence from the UEFA Europa League squad did admittedly come as a surprise, but we can only assume Sage has agreed to give the Crystal Palace No.29 priority to start in the domestic cup competitions to make up for it.
Photo by Silvina Brodersohn – CameraSport via Getty Images
Guessand can also be added to the UEFA Europa League squad after the winter transfer window in 2027, when UEFA allow clubs to submit an updated sheet.