European Hot Shots: Jonathan David is ready for his next move

European Hot Shots: Jonathan David is ready for his next move
FotMob - April 8, 2024, 9:07 PM
Jonathan David finally looks set to leave Lille.
By Sam McGuire

The 24-year-old moved to France in 2020 having caught the eye in Belgium while turning out for Gent. His 30 goals across two seasons while playing a variety of positions as a teenager made him hot property across Europe.

He was linked with a host of clubs, with Liverpool reportedly keen on the American-born Canada international, but, to the surprise of many, it was Lille who signed him in a deal believed to be worth €30million. The Reds instead opted to bring in Diogo Jota.

It was a steep fee for a player with no experience in any of the top five European leagues, but Lille do have a proven track record of nurturing talent. They clearly felt they could develop David and, in turn, potentially double their money.


During his first season with the Lille, he helped the club win Ligue 1. David notched 13 goals, finishing the campaign with 11 goals in 18 appearances. This included match-winners against Marseille, Paris Saint-German and a goal in the 3-2 win over Lyon. By no means was he a passenger for this title win, he more than played his part in the team’s success.

He built on that in the following season, though Lille could only claim a 10th-place finish. David found the back of the net on 15 occasions that term. The 2022/23 campaign really saw the 46-cap international explode though with him finishing with 24 goals. He was responsible for 37% of Lille’s goals that season as Les Dogues finished fifth.

His exploits in the penalty area didn’t go unnoticed. Spurs were reportedly keen on him succeeding Harry Kane. Chelsea wanted him to bolster their attack. Manchester United allegedly viewed him as the striker to knit their forward line together. He remained in France though and, at the time of writing, he’s already registered yet another +15 goal haul in Ligue 1 (23 in all competitions).

He was linked with Aston Villa in January with the Villans looking to add to their ranks ahead of a Champions League push, and Lille were reportedly weighing up moves for strikers. David was even asked about his future just after the turn of the year, to which he responded: “I think I’ll finish the season with Lille and we’ll see what happens after that.”

All of the noise around David seems to suggest he is going to depart this summer despite having one year left on his deal. He’s almost backed Lille into a corner as the French side know they either sell him this summer and recoup some, if not all, of the €30million they spent on him or they lose their No.9 on a free in 2025.

And if this is to be his final season with the club, he’s doing a good job putting himself in the shop window. Across 2,125 minutes in the top-flight this term, David has racked up an Expected Goals haul of 16.1 and an Expected Goals on Target total of 18. The latter metric suggests he’s unfortunate not to have more than the 16 goals he’s registered. It also highlights the fact he’s adding value to his efforts due to his placement.


You can see exactly why this is the case when looking at his shot map. A lot of his efforts are aimed towards the corners which increases the likelihood of these shots beating the goalkeeper. This is by design, of course. He’s a sharpshooter who doesn’t just look to hit the target, he looks to hit the corners whenever possible. David is also confident on either foot, which makes him even more unpredictable in the penalty area and this, in turn, makes him a greater threat. Matched with the fact he likes to take his shots fairly early, it is easy to understand why he’s such a threat. The goalscorer catches goalkeepers out with his efforts, purely because there are no telltale signs he’s about to shoot before he pulls the trigger.

Wherever he ends up, that club is getting themselves a real pocket rocket of a forward. He’s the sort to gobble up chances for a ball dominant team who just needs a penalty box poacher.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every LOSC Lille game live with FotMob — featuring xG, deep stats coverage, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Home
/
Champions League
Mikel Arteta vs Thomas Tuchel: Complete head-to-head record
Mikel Arteta and Thomas Tuchel briefly duelled in the Premier League
Arteta's Arsenal came out on top in two of three meetings with Chelsea
Tuchel's Bayern Munich will face Gunners in 2023/24 Champions League quarter-finals
By James Cormack
12:00 AM GMT+1
Mikel Arteta and Thomas Tuchel duelled during the German's time at Chelsea
Mikel Arteta and Thomas Tuchel duelled during the German's time at Chelsea / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA / Contributor / Alexander Hassenstein / Staff
Thomas Tuchel and Mikel Arteta stand among the more meticulous managerial contemporaries, but the two coaches have met head-to-head on just a few occasions.

Chelsea's decision to part ways with Tuchel at the start of the 2022/23 season, which Arteta admitted came as a surprise at the time, meant there was little chance for a rivalry to brew and form.

With Tuchel exiting the Premier League and the Spaniard continuing to build in north London, any head-to-head duels between the pair moving forward are likely to arrive via the Champions League.

Here's a rundown of the head-to-head record between Arteta and Tuchel.

1. Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal (12/05/21)
Bukayo Saka
A Jorginho error decided the first duel between Tuchel and Arteta / Shaun Botterill/GettyImages
Arsenal certainly hadn't escaped their 'banter era' when these two managers met for the first time, with current Gooner and then Chelsea midfielder Jorginho deciding the encounter.

The Italian's overhit back-pass forced Kepa Arrizabalaga to scramble and, despite the Spaniard preventing an own goal, he couldn't prevent Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Emile Smith Rowe from combining for the game's only goal.

Tuchel rung the changes for this midweek encounter, with Chelsea tasting defeat to Leicester in the FA Cup final just a few days later. Arsenal, meanwhile, finished eighth in the Premier League table despite their late-season victory at Stamford Bridge.

2. Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea (22/08/21)
Romelu Lukaku, Bernd Leno, Rob Holding
Romelu Lukaku dominated at the Emirates / Shaun Botterill/GettyImages
2020/21 would end with Chelsea holding the Champions League trophy aloft. Kai Havertz sunk Manchester City in Porto and expectations were sky-high for Tuchel's Blues heading into the new season.

Romelu Lukaku, who'd just inspired Inter to their first Scudetto in a decade, returned to the club and Arsenal felt the full effect of the Belgian on Matchday 2 of the 2021/22 campaign.

Reece James had a field day down the right flank against a Gunners side that would start their Premier League campaign with three scoreless defeats. Arteta's side were comfortably second best as Lukaku scored twice in a 2-0 away win.

3. Chelsea 2-4 Arsenal (20/04/22)
Emile Smith Rowe, Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen, Malang Sarr
Arsenal continued their impressive run at Stamford Bridge towards the end of the 2021/22 season / Marc Atkins/GettyImages
Arteta just about stayed in the job at the start of 2021/22 and his Arsenal side would recover to mount an impressive top-four charge. However, three straight defeats in April threatened their assault before they rocked up at the Bridge.

Tuchel's Chelsea had endured a disappointing campaign given the expectations and they were put to the sword on home soil by slick Gunners performance.

Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka were in fine form as Arsenal reignited their top-four hopes with a 4-2 win. Stand-in striker Eddie Nketiah also recorded a brace.

Mikel Arteta vs Thomas Tuchel H2H record
Mikel Arteta: 2 wins
Thomas Tuchel: 1 wins
Draws: 0
Goals scored

Teams managed by Arteta: 5
Teams managed by Tuchel: 4
READ THE LATEST FEATURES AND ANALYSIS FROM 90MIN
feed

Related Topics
Chelsea FC
Mikel Arteta
Thomas Tuchel
Arsenal FC
Premier League
Champions League
Manchester City FC
Inter Milan