Is this versatile forward the answer to Newcastle United’s prayers?
Posted on March 12th, 2024 | No Comments |
In 2022, the club then signed Alexander Isak for a record fee of over £60 million. Though Isak has definitely shown his potential on the pitch since coming to the club with some great skills and goals, he too has been somewhat prone to injuries, which has left the club bereft of a proper Centre Forward at times. Wilson has been great when he’s been fit but he has been so fragile, the club needs someone else.
Apart from the odd injury spell, Isak has proved to be a fine addition to the squad overall, though I must admit I didn’t know much about him when he signed for the club in 2022. After doing a fair amount of research, my (realistic) choice at the time for a new number 9 was Lille’s then 22 year old Canadian striker (now 24), Jonathan David. If the Magpies are looking for another striker, it still would be for the reasons I will attempt to set out below.
I have been watching David playing for Lille when I can over the last couple of seasons. Firstly, if Lille were to agree a deal, he would be around the same as far as the transfer fee goes. According to Transfermarkt, his current valuation is €50 million, though they are usually somewhat lower than they are in the real world and £60-65 million would be more realistic.
Style of Play
In his last two seasons at Lille, David has scored 47 goals in 75 games, scoring at a rate of a goal every 128 minutes. Though he mostly plays as a Centre Forward for Lille now, one very important point for an injury prone side like Newcastle is that David is an extremely versatile forward who is also highly capable of stepping in as a Second Striker, Attacking Midfielder and to a lesser extent on either wing. His speed is exceptional, especially on counterattacks, and he combines this with an inspired unpredictability which can help him to lose markers, as well as having good ball control in tight areas. He is also a good passer of the ball and finally, although he’s not the biggest player at 5’9″ he has real strength, along with a willingness to press and defend when off the ball. In short, he is a complete attacking player.
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NUFCBlog Author: workyticket
workyticket has written 1095 articles on this blog.