Summary Tottenham eyeing a cut-price deal for Lille's Jonathan David. David's goalscoring record and ability to create space make him an attractive target. Spurs could land their own version of Newcastle's Alexander Isak with David.
Tottenham Hotspur have been quiet this summer, biding their time as players perform on the international stage and Ange Postecoglou rolls out pearls of wisdom in the Euro 2024 punditry room.
Last week, The Athletic reported that while central midfielders Archie Gray (Leeds United) and Conor Gallagher (Chelsea) are on the radar, and now, David Ornstein has confirmed that the Leeds prodigy is closing on a move to the club after Brentford's offer was rejected.
Johan Lange is seemingly biding his time. Spurs are not beset by any PSR struggles, nor are they content with their first-team squad. It's all about the right opportunity.
Centre-forward is also a position of note, and given a certain striker appears to have been transfer-listed for an affordable price, that golden chance might just be materialising.
Spurs eyeing striker
Harry Kane's 2023 sale to Bayern Munich did not see a direct, high-profile replacement brought in. Instead, Postecoglou bolstered across the park.
Now, though, according to 90min, Tottenham are one of the teams interested in a cut-price deal for a marksman, with LOSC Lille slashing their asking price for Jonathan David to just £20m, should the structure of the package be deemed sufficient.
David is one of Ligue 1's foremost marksmen but is entering the final year of his contract; he has made it clear he will not renew terms. Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham United are among the other suitors and Tottenham must act quickly to get it over the line.
Jonathan David's goalscoring ability
David is currently performing for Canada at the CONMEBOL Copa America and scored once from three matches in the group stage as his nation reached the knockout phase for the first time in their history.
It's this fact that might slow down the process of the 24-year-old's transfer, though he will be attentive to the market speculation and ready to move when possible.
And with such a stunning goalscoring record, it's no wonder that Tottenham have a vested interest. Across four campaigns in the French top flight, David has scored 71 goals and added 11 assists across 141 matches. Such success has led him to be described as "one of the best strikers in the world" by media personality Tony Marinaro.
1.
Kylian Mbappe
27
2.
Jonathan David
19
2.
Alexandre Lacazette
19
4.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
17
5.
Wissam Ben Yedder
16
Moreover, David's recently-concluded campaign was one of much success on an individual level, having plundered 26 goals and added nine assists from 46 matches across domestic and continental competition.
He's a deadly marksman, and while Tottenham boast the likes of Heung-min Son and Richarlison up front, David would offer the kind of out-and-out striking qualities to provide Postecoglou with the added dimension needed to improve, especially with Europa League football just around the corner.
Why Jonathan David is perfect for Spurs
David is tried and tested, an unerring shooter. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 16% of centre-forward across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored per 90, as well as the top 3% for pass completion.
This crisp ball-playing ability would be perfect for Tottenham, for Postecoglou's fluid, fast-and-forward-moving style of football requires a certain degree of sharpness in that regard.
The Canadian is a wonderful goalscorer but he's so much more, regarded as an instinctive distributor and a natural connector of play, thriving when bouncing against his peers, creating space, making things happen.
His deadliness in front of goal, coupled with his dynamic and exciting approach in the final third, could see David shaped into Spurs' very own Alexander Isak, with the sought-after Newcastle United talisman one of his most comparable players, according to FBref.
The Magpies signed Isak from Real Sociedad in 2022 for a club-record fee of £63m, and while he endured an injury-disrupted first campaign, the 24-year-old has been emphatic in front of goal over the past year, posting 25 goals from 36 starting appearances in all competitions.
It's an impressive haul, made all the more so by Isak's ability to finish his dinner when served in front of him. Indeed, as per Sofascore, the Tyneside sensation bagged 21 times in the Premier League last term, missing just 21 big chances in the process.
The season before in the Premier League, despite his injury struggles, Isak notched ten goals from 17 starts, missing five big chances.
Let's have a look at how that compares to Lille's attacking star. David, over the past two Ligue 1 campaigns, has scored 43 goals from 66 starting displays, missing just 34 big chances in that timeframe. That, truly, is the mark of a natural goalscoring machine.
Of course, movement plays a part too: the £120k-per-week forward ranks among the top 17% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive passes, the top 14% for progressive carries and the top 12% for successful take-ons per 90.
But David, inside a new system – inside Postecoglou's system – could see himself flowering into a player of similar quality, indeed already recognised for his likeness to one of the Premier League's most formidable forwards.
Flanked by the creativity of Son – who created the fourth-most number of big chances in the Premier League last term, with 20 – and the progressive energy of the indefatigable Dejan Kulusevski, David will succeed.
Supercharged by the ball-threading brilliance of James Maddison, who finished the season poorly but is one of English football's finest playmakers, averaging 2.7 key passes per game for the Lilywhites last year, David will thrive.
In 2022, David said: "I don't know if I can find myself anywhere other than the Premier League" during an interview. The time, surely, is right to grant him his wish, and given the swarm of interest in his signature, Tottenham should swoop and they should do so with haste.
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ByJack Salveson HolmesJun 29, 2024
Postecoglou could now land his own version of Newcastle star Isak by securing a deal to sign the Copa America star ahead of the likes of Chelsea and United before the 2024/25 campaign gets underway next month.