Man Utd to fulfil Lille star’s Premier League dream?
Each day we pick one player and cut out the noise to provide analytical, objective insight. Jonathan David from Lille is the center of attention on Tuesday.
- Age: 23
- Position: striker
- Association: Lille
- Country: Canada
This summer could finally be the time when Jonathan David is promoted to the Premier League from Lille, a move he has been looking forward to, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all known to be admirers.
The Canada international has been in red-hot form in Ligue 1, scoring 15 goals so far and providing four assists, making him the top scorer alongside PSG star Kylian Mbappe and Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun on loan from Reims.
This is David’s third season at Lille after joining from Belgian Pro-League club Gent in 2020. Each season he only got better.
The Lille star’s 15 goals include four penalties, which inflates the total a bit, but his underlying numbers suggest he’s repeatedly finding good positions.
His 11 non-penalty goals out of approximately 11 non-penalty goals (xG) are as follows Infogoljust goes to show how clinical he’s been this season.
David has made great strides on all key metrics this season and has established himself superbly as Lille’s main forward, thriving under the stewardship of Paulo Fonseca, whose attacking football has garnered much praise.
He’s shooting a lot more, averaging 3.47 shots per 95 compared to 2.26 shots per 95 last season. His baseline xG scores have also improved, averaging 0.62 xG per 95, a significant improvement from the 0.43 xG per 95 he averaged last semester.
Those underlying numbers are among the best in the league, with David’s xG per95 sitting fourth behind Mbappe, Wissam Ben Yedder and Balogun.
“I don’t know if I can find myself anywhere other than in the Premier League. It could well be the Premier League. It’s a very nice atmosphere,” said David La Voix du Nord, last year.
Manchester United and Chelsea are likely to be in the market for a number nine this summer. The latter certainly need one given their onslaught problems since Graham Potter took charge.
A move to Old Trafford would see David join a burgeoning club under Erik ten Hag and give him the opportunity to play alongside the rejuvenated Marcus Rashford.
Given his age and the considerable experience he has already gained, David is at the right moment to make this move to the Premier League.