He has a decent goalscoring record in European competition too (goals vs. RM, AM and Juventus this season).
Make that 101 goals (scored another goal, Lille 3-1 Brest now)
View: https://x.com/LOSC_EN/status/1865102496600883521
Jonathan David: The free agent summer signing Europe’s elite will be eyeing
Dated 29 Nov 2024
There is nothing new about Jonathan David’s name in an eye-catching transfer headline. From links to the Premier League’s big-hitters to the biggest and best in Spain and Italy, since emerging as a teenager with Gent and elevating his standing over four years with Lille, a move to one of Europe’s big boys has been a case of when, not if.
Now, with his contract with Lille expiring at the end of the season, the power is in his hands — and the 24-year-old is ready to make the step up.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported in June that Chelsea held talks with David. He’s freely admitted his desire to play for Barcelona, but with the January window just a month away, there’s time for another club to stump up the money and convince him of their project before the summer.
So why could football’s top-tier clubs be queueing up for a shot at the New York-born Canada international’s signature?
“He’s maybe one of the hottest strikers in Europe right now; he seems to score every match,” Canada manager Jesse Marsch said in a press conference after David scored the opening goal in a 3-0 win over Suriname last Tuesday. “He’s dangerous every match, sets up goals. He’s a complete player.”
Last season, David scored 19 goals in 34 league appearances (from 30 starts). In the second half of the season, he truly started flying, registering 14 of those 19 in the final 17 games of the campaign. He has carried that goalscoring form into this term, with 13 goals in his first 19 matches in all competitions — scoring more goals with his left than his stronger right foot in the league.
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He’s also incredibly clinical. Since his debut season with Gent in 2018-19, David has outperformed his expected goals per 90 tally every season. The graph shows how his scoring rate (blue line) has consistently been above the rate at which he gets into those positions (xG per 90, red line). Not only does this highlight his quality in front of goal (his scoring rate has not dropped beneath the xG tally across a league season), but it also reflects how his ability to find goalscoring opportunities is trending upwards. His steady development in these areas should aid his transition from Lille to a true European giant.
Perhaps the most encouraging element for the elite tier of clubs is that he’s starting to deliver against them, too. While Ligue 1 has developed into one of Europe’s most attractive proving grounds for young talent — during the 2022-23 season, players under the age of 21 registered 68,212 minutes in Ligue 1, far exceeding the combined total for U21s in the Premier League (29,085 minutes) and Serie A (32,194 minutes) — it has a reputation for being the weakest of the continent’s top five leagues.
Along with his form last season, seven goals in his opening 11 matches demonstrate David is a reliable goalscorer against French opposition. But his form in the Champions League offers a level of assurance to the elite clubs that he has the qualities to perform on the most significant occasions.
David has scored six goals and assisted twice in eight Champions League matches this season (including qualifying). An extra-time winning goal to take Lille beyond Fenerbahce in the third round of qualification, followed by a goal and two assists across the two qualifying legs against Slavia Prague, helped confirm qualification for the league phase, and it’s there where he’s gone to another level.
After failing to score in a 2-0 defeat by Sporting CP on the first matchday, David has taken hold of Lille’s European fortunes. In matchday two, he tucked away a penalty to beat defending Champions League holders Real Madrid 1-0, and he’s continued that strong form with a brace against Atletico Madrid in a 3-1 win and a goal in a 1-1 draw with Juventus.
However, in David’s case, the numbers only tell part of the story. His goalscoring record is strong enough to attract interest from Europe’s top clubs, especially as he will likely be available as a free agent next summer. It is even more impressive considering he has a lot more to his game.
“I’ve said it over and over and over again: he’s the smartest player I’ve ever coached, and he continues to show that every time we take the pitch,” said Marsch on Tuesday. “I don’t know that he has real weaknesses.”
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In September, David scored a perfect hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Le Havre, with the second, a flicked effort on the volley with his right foot, the pick of the bunch. While David scores most of his goals inside the box, he influences the game all over the pitch. His assist for Benjamin Andre in Lille’s 4-2 win over AJ Auxerre in the 2022-23 season highlights his ability to create for other players around the box.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsfO9LV7ebc
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C5aNWLiW_w
His ability to connect the attack is even more pronounced when playing for Canada, as he drops deep and creates opportunities for Cyle Larin, his strike partner and ‘Strikers Corner’ podcast co-host. At 5ft 9in, he is not a huge physical presence. While his consistent goalscoring production at club level is strong enough evidence to suggest he is capable of leading the line at the elite level, he is more of a 9.5 than a true No 9. He often plays his best football when he has other attackers around him to combine with.
Should he move to Barcelona — he told The Athletic it was his “dream (club) to play for” over the international break — Robert Lewandowski could be the prime beneficiary of his ability to drop deep and connect midfield and attack. Whether the Pole will step aside to let David, a world-class penalty-taker, assume responsibility from the spot is another question.
Since joining Lille in 2020, he has scored 22 of his 26 penalties and has already scored five this season — including the winner against Real Madrid to end their 36-match unbeaten run in Europe.
“His great strength is that he has very cold blood,” Lille head coach Bruno Genesio said in his press conference before Lille’s draw with Juventus on November 5. “That is a great quality for taking a penalty. It is about managing emotions, not the technique. You have to ignore all the consequences that the success or failure of a penalty can have, and on that, he is calm.”
That killer mentality is not just evident from 12 yards — his team-mates and coaches refer to the “Iceman”, his nickname within the Canada set-up, as cool, calm and confident in every situation.
“That’s also in his general game — he has great confidence,” says Genesio. “He can miss two clear chances in a match, but that will not make him doubt the third. That is his great strength.”
