Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Lille forward Jonathan David, as Mikel Arteta eyes reinforcements in the summer.
After spending £150million on six players last summer, the Gunners had a quiet January transfer window, despite knowing they face a big fight to get into this season’s top four. However, the north London club and Mikel Arteta have seemingly started chalking out potential transfer targets behind the scenes.
According to Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenburg, Jonathan David wants to leave Lille in the summer. With no release clause in his contract, any club wanting to sign him should be playing in the Champions League next season and be ready to splash around €45-55m, he tweeted.
Jonathan David, 22, has developed into one of Europe’s exciting young assets in recent times. With 13 goals and two assists in his debut Ligue 1 season, the Canadian international guided Lille to the league title. He has been a consistent performer for Les Dogues despite the club’s mid-table status in Ligue 1 this term, bagging 12 goals in 26 games to date.
A host of clubs, including Newcastle United, have started to take notice of David’s performances, meaning Arsenal are set to face stiff competition for his signature in the summer.
Jonathan David to Arsenal—A smart long-term investment?
A prestigious top-four spot is still within Arsenal’s reach as they’re just two points behind Manchester United, having played two fewer games till now. If the north London giants can clinch the final Champions League berth, it will give them a competitive advantage over their rivals to poach top talents from the transfer market.
As far as their transfer priorities lie, the club will splash big on a new striker as Mikel Arteta seeks to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who left the Emirates Stadium on a free transfer to join Barcelona in the January transfer window. Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are also approaching the final few months of their current contracts, which means the Gunners could potentially head into the summer transfer window without a recognised number nine.
This accentuates the need for a quality centre-forward and Jonathan David fits the bill perfectly at the Emirates Stadium, having had immense success for both club and country over the past couple of years. At Lille, David has already netted 29 goals in 83 appearances, emerging as one of Ligue 1’s most talented attacking prospects.
The Canadian striker would walk straight into Arsenal’s starting XI, and his technical ability on the ball, speed, agility and flair should make him a perfect fit for Arteta’s set-up which consists of a host of young talented operators who are fearless and inventive on the ball. The ex-Gent man can link up well with the attackers in the final third and get at the end of the crosses to finish off chances.
At the age of 22, though, David has a lot of time to improve his game and eventually become a complete centre-forward. Truly, he certainly has the raw attributes to become a protagonist in the Gunners’ offensive department for the years to come.
But for Arsenal to have a chance of signing David from Lille, they must first secure Champions League qualification for next season.
