The free-scoring striker who could be on his way to Arsenal – and wouldn’t cost a penny
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.
They 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.
You 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.
