If you are looking for a bright, young center-forward, don’t look beyond Jonathan David of Lille. The 21-year-old Canadian forward in his second season at Lille has made another excellent start to the season scoring 11 goals in 17 games. Only six other players in Europe’s top five leagues have scored more than David. So, it is fair to say David is one of the best forwards in Europe at the moment.
The following visualisation shows where David ranks when compared to center-forwards from Europe’s top five leagues.
David, as one can see in the visual, is one of the best finishers in Europe, scoring 11 goals from an xG of 9.08. Jonathan David does not have any assists to his name so far, but ranks in the 71st percentile for Expected Assists per 90, which means that he has created sufficient chances for his teammates. David is also not someone who frequently dribbles, as indicated by his percentile rank for dribbles attempted per 90. One of the biggest strengths of his game is his shooting, as he hits the target more often than most with a percentile rank of 94 for Shooting Accuracy.
Jonathan David is only 21 years of age but he has already drawn the attention of some of the top clubs in Europe. He was key to Lille’s success in the league last year scoring 13 goals. He already has 11 goals this year and looks set to finish well above his tally from last season. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if David makes a big money switch in the summer of 2022.
