Jonathan David: Man Utd to fulfil Lille star's Premier League dream?
Each day we pick out a player and cut through the noise to give analytical, objective insight. Tuesday's focus is on Lille's Jonathan David.
- Age: 23
- Position: Striker
- Club: Lille
- Country: Canada
This summer could finally be the time we see Jonathan David make the step up from Lille to the Premier League, 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 assisting a further four, tying him with PSG star Kylian Mbappe and Reims's on-loan Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun as the top scorer.
This is David's third season with Lille, having joined from Belgian Pro League side Gent in 2020. Each passing campaign has only seen him get better.
The Lille star's 15 goals include four penalties which does inflate the total slightly, however, his underlying figures suggest he is getting into good positions repeatedly.
His 11 non-penalty goals from approximately 11 non-penalty expected goals (xG), according to Infogol, just goes to show how clinical he has been this season.
David has made significant strides in all important metrics this term and has taken on the mantle of being Lille's main striker superbly, thriving under the management of Paulo Fonseca, whose attacking football has won many plaudits.
He is shooting a lot more, averaging 3.47 shots per95 as compared to 2.26 shots per95 last season. His underlying xG numbers have improved as well, averaging 0.62 xG per95, a clear improvement from the 0.43 xG per95 that he was averaging last term.
Those underlying numbers are up there with the league's best, with David's xG per95 ranking fourth behind Mbappe, Wissam Ben Yedder and Balogun.
"I don't know if I can find myself anywhere other than the Premier League. It could well be the Premier League. It's a very nice atmosphere," said David, to La Voix du Nord, last year.
Manchester United and Chelsea will likely be in the market for a number nine this summer. The latter are certainly in need of one given their attacking woes since Graham Potter took charge.
A move to Old Trafford would see David join a club on an upward trajectory under Erik ten Hag and give him the opportunity to play alongside the rejuvinated Marcus Rashford.
Given his age and the significant experience he has already garnered, David is at the right moment to make that Premier League move.