Last season saw Arsenal continue their campaign to dethrone Manchester City from atop their Premier League throne, and while they came close, it just wasn’t to be.
Mikel Arteta’s side produced the best defence in the competition, but with five fewer goals than the Sky Blues, they had to settle for second best.
So, it’s unsurprising to see that the Gunners have been linked to a plethora of talented number nines this summer, from Benjamin Sesko a month ago to Viktor Gyokeres in the last few weeks.
Arsenal-Trossard-Partey-Gabriel
However, recent reports have touted a different striker altogether for a move to North London, and he’s a forward who could be unreal alongside Martin Odegaard.
Arsenal’s striker search
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal have drawn up a list of striker targets for this summer, and one of the main names on the list is LOSC Lille star Jonathan David.
LOSC Lille striker Jonathan David
There is no mention of how much a deal for the Canadian superstar may cost the North Londoners, but a report from the Guardian last month revealed that he could be available for as little as £20m due to his contract expiring next summer.
While this is brilliant news for the Gunners, it’s less than ideal that the same report claims Chelsea, Manchester United, West Ham United, and Tottenham Hotspur also want the 24-year-old.
David-Lille-Spurs-Richarlison-Kane-Premier-League-transfer
This level of interest could make signing David complicated, but for the supposed fee and based on his recent form, this is a transfer Arsenal cannot miss out on – especially as he could be incredible alongside Odegaard.
Why David would be a great teammate for Odegaard
Now, there are probably countless reasons why David would be a fantastic signing and a brilliant teammate for Odegaard, but there is one incredibly straightforward one: his output.
Last season, the Canadian superstar scored 26 goals and provided nine assists for his teammates in just 47 appearances, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.34 games for a club that didn’t even finish in the top three.
This incredible form wasn’t just down to a one-off season in which everything went his way, either. Over the four campaigns, the 5 foot 9 marksman has found the back of the net on 84 occasions in 183 club appearances and provided 18 assists to boot.
Jonathan David’s recent career
Season
2020/21
2021/22
2022/23
2023/24
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
All Stats via Transfermarkt
This means that over the last four years, the New York-born dynamo has averaged a goal involvement every 1.79 games, lending credence to Canadian journalist Tony Marinaro’s description of the 52-capped international as “one of the best strikers in the world.”
So, if the “mind-blowing” striker, as talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him, can maintain such an impressive level of performance for a side not really challenging for the league or a title in Europe, imagine what he could do in this current Arsenal team, and in particular, with the club’s Norwegian wizard behind him.
The former Real Madrid wonderkid scored 11 goals and 11 assists in 48 games last season, equating to a goal involvement every 2.18 games on average, and was named the club’s Player of the Season.
Moreover, according to FBref, which ranks players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues, the mercurial talent sits in the top 1% of midfielders for shot-creating actions and touches in the penalty area, the top 2% for progressive passes, the top 3% for non-penalty expected goals and assists, and the top 4% for total shots and actual assists, all per 90.
Forget about Gyokeres: Arsenal want to sign “unstoppable” £42m striker
Ultimately, the prospect of a clinical striker such as David playing alongside the Gunners’ outlandishly talented captain is undeniably exciting and therefore, Edu and Co should be doing all they can to bring the Canadian to the red side of North London th
