The free-scoring striker who could be on his way to Arsenal – and wouldn’t cost a penny
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Arsenal’s failure to sign a striker – or their decision not to sign one, depending on how you look at it – was one of the biggest talking points of the transfer window, at least for the fans in the stands at the Emirates. This was a team who seemed to be an elite number nine away from a Premier League title last season, but instead the cash was spent elsewhere and the Gunners are getting ready for round three of their title showdown with Manchester City with Kai Havertz up front once again.
It may well work out, and Mikel Arteta has adapted and improved his team consistently over the course of his tenure as Arsenal head coach, but if they fall short once again then questions will be asked. And Arsenal already seem to be working on the answers if they need them, according to a report from Caught Offside.
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Hide AdThey claim that the Gunners are doing their due diligence ahead of a possible move for Lille striker Jonathan David, who is entering the final year of his contract with the Ligue 1 club after a prolific spell which has seen him rack up 84 goals in 186 games, with 51 of those strikes coming in the last two seasons. Now 24 years old, the Canada international seems determined to take the next step in his career and Arsenal could be his landing spot.
The appeal of such a signing is pretty straightforward. David wouldn’t cost a penny up front (although Lille may try to move him on at a discount in January) and would offer the Gunners the kind of genuine goalscorer that they haven’t had since Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang began to decline a few seasons ago. He’s fast, has good technique, moves well off the ball and knows where the net is.
But the article also claims that David isn’t the number one choice. That, apparently, continues to be RB Leipzig and Slovenia forward Benjamin Šeško, who declined the opportunity to move this summer in favour of signing a new contract and continuing his career in the Bundesliga. But is Šeško really that much better than David that it would be worth splashing what would likely be a huge amount of money to buy him when David would be free? And how does either player stack up with the options that Arsenal already have?


The table above shows how David, Šeško, and Arsenal’s current striking options compared last season, broken up by statistics which demonstrate their finishing prowess and those which give hints as to how creative they can be and how well they link up with their team-mates. The goal/xG stat, incidentally, only includes league fixtures as expected goal stats aren’t available for some domestic cup competitions.
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Hide AdYou can see why Šeško might be at the top of the list. He scored fewer goals than David because he played many fewer minutes, with Leipzig manager Marco Rose rotating him regularly, but his goal per game ratio is quite remarkable and his finishing is extraordinary. Throw in the fact that he’s just as quick as David, is considerably taller and more threatening in the air and is a few years younger, and it’s not tricky to see the appeal.
But there are plenty of reasons to be interested in David, too. He’s got a much longer proven track record and has been consistently excellent for years now, while Šeško only has a small body of work behind him due to his age. David is also a better technical player and his link-up play and ability to bring team-mates into the game is superior. As you can see from the numbers put up by Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, having forwards who can contribute more than goals has been a priority for Arsenal, and partly serves to explain why they score more goals than teams like Manchester City from midfield. David would likely provide better service for Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard and company to keep them in the game and scoring.
There are caveats to such stats, of course – for starters, there is certainly a gap between Ligue 1 and the Premier League and it’s reasonable to assume that there would be some degree of drop-off for David when he played at a slightly higher level. Šeško’s goal stats are also arguably padded by an astonishing run of form towards the end of last season. If that’s a standard he maintains going forward, he will be truly world-class, but there’s no proof that he can maintain it at yet.
Whichever way you look at the numbers, however, and whatever lens you watch the highlight reels through, there is a great deal to recommend David. He has scored consistently and constantly for several years and has the fundamental physical and technical gifts required to succeed in the English top flight. He looks like a safe bet for a club who really need a 20-goal striker to underline their credentials as potential champions, and he can do that while still offering the kind of team play that will bring the talent around Arsenal’s number nine into the game as well.
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Hide AdWill Arsenal make a move, though? We’ll find out soon enough. Arsenal’s summer transfer window suggested that they are a side who have become picky about who they sign and who will pass over high-class players if they don’t fit the profile required – they could have signed Ivan Toney, for example, but declined to make a bid. Whether David meets those stringent criteria remains to be seen.
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