With international football now out of the way and pre-season already here, we are rapidly approaching the return of the Premier League, and as such, teams need to get a move on in the transfer window.
Tottenham Hotspur are no different in this regard.
While they have already spent £30m on the exciting Archie Gray, they could use some more attacking reinforcements to ensure Ange Postecoglou has what he needs to make a serious bid for a Champions League place next year.
Fortunately, recent reports have linked the Lilywhites with one of the most consistent strikers on the continent, a striker who has won comparisons to England striker Ollie Watkins.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news
According to a recent report from journalist Ben Jacobs via GIVEMESPORT, Tottenham are looking to bring in some attacking talent this summer, and one of the names on their list is LOSC Lille forward Jonathan David.
The report does not mention a potential price.
However, a separate story from Football Insider late last week claimed that the Canadian international would be available for around £25m due to his contract expiring next summer.
At such an affordable price, Spurs cannot afford to miss out on signing David, as he has shown in recent seasons that he's an accomplished top-flight centre-forward, and the comparisons to Watkins are just further proof of that.
Why David would be a great signing and his comparisons to Watkins
So, before we look at the comparison between David and Watkins, let's look at the primary reason he'd be such a great signing for Spurs: his output.
Last season, the "mind-blowing" number nine, as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, scored 26 goals and provided nine assists in just 47 appearances for Les Dogues. This means he averaged a goal involvement every 1.34 games for a team not fighting for the top honours in France.
This red-hot form wasn't an aberration either. Over the last four seasons, he has scored 84 goals and provided 18 assists in 183 club appearances, and in his 54 senior caps for Canada, he has scored 28 goals and provided 16 assists.
Appearances
48
48
40
47
Goals
13
19
26
26
Assists
5
0
4
9
Goal Involvements per Match
0.37
0.39
0.75
0.74
Such an incredible rate of return over an extended period should put any concerns to rest over the 24-year-old being a one-season wonder while also lending credence to journalist Tony Marinaro's description of him as "one of the best strikers in the world."
Okay, so his goalscoring form is undeniable, but where does this comparison to Aston Villa's star striker come from?
Well, it stems from FBref, which compared players in similar positions in last season's Europa Conference League and created a list of the most comparable players. In this case, they considered the Englishman to be the fifth most similar striker to the Lille ace.
The easiest way to see this is by how closely the pair ranked for several key metrics in that competition, such as progressive carries, carries into the opposition's penalty area, goals and assists, expected assists, clearances and key passes.
Progressive Carries
0.85
0.83
Expected Assists
0.05
0.06
Goals + Assists
0.51
0.60
Key Passes
1.02
1.07
Clearances
0.34
0.36
Carries into the Penalty Area
0.51
0.60
Ultimately, with such an impressive record of scoring goals in a top-five league and for his national team, alongside a comparison to one of England's best strikers at the moment, signing David for just £25m seems like a no-brainer, and therefore, Daniel Levy and Co should be doing all they can to get this deal over the line.
Kulusevski upgrade: Spurs chasing £25m signing who's like Son
The talented international could be an incredible addition to Postecoglou’s team.
ByJack Salveson HolmesJul 16, 2024
