The Lilywhites could now secure an upgrade on the breakout star of their rivals. Tottenham Hotspur may well be enjoying a brief period of success under their new boss, but there still remains an elephant in the room that Ange Postecoglou must address before deadline day later this week; replacing Harry Kane…
Who could replace Harry Kane?
The Australian is still yet to invest in a successor to Kane, despite the entire summer being dominated by rumours of his exit, which was confirmed over two weeks ago. Whilst seemingly an impossible task to replace the England captain, there are options on the market that could more than make up for the huge amount of goals they are set to lose.
One such option has been outlined by journalist Rudy Galetti, who spoke to GIVEMESPORT on this topic:
“Tottenham are still looking at a replacement for Harry Kane and this is their first priority. Jonathan David and Gift Orban remain the preferred names in the list and talks will go ahead for them in the next days.”
It was noted earlier in the window that the LOSC Lille man, who would represent a much more experienced and proven option, would cost around €60m (£52m). This would still leave plenty leftover from the fee gained from that aforementioned sale to Bayern Munich.
How good is Jonathan David?
Despite being only 23 years old, it feels like David has been around the top of the game for many years now. Boasting a bulky 5 foot 9 frame, he is more than capable of competing with the combative style of English football, with his turn of pace an added asset to petrify defenders.
Such a well-rounded physical profile, combined with his lethal touch in front of goal, have made him one of Europe’s most promising young frontmen.
Just last season saw him score 24 times and assist a further four in Ligue 1, having built upon his 15-goal haul the year prior. With two goals in three league matches already this term, it seems the Canada international is once again poised to enjoy another clinical period.
The only question is for whom will those goals be scored?
Should he choose Spurs, the injection of proficiency that his presence would provide could be the catalyst that takes Postecoglou’s early-tenure success to new heights, surpassing all expectations to propel them way up the Premier League table.
His acquisition would certainly aid in their efforts to outperform rivals Chelsea, given the similarities shared between the former Gent star and Mauricio Pochettino’s new star forward, Nicolas Jackson.
Having signed from Villarreal just this summer, already the Senegalese star is catching the eye, with his electric play style having drawn praise from his new boss: “I think when Chelsea sign a player like him it’s because they detect something important in quality and talent. He is a big talent, he needs time to adapt to the new club, the Premier League.
“He is young also, we need to help him to develop and evolve and be an important player for Chelsea.”.
The Analyst seeks to emphasise their similarities, with Jackson boasting a 79.2% similarity score and also ranking in the top 9% for goals, compared to David’s top 6%.
However, when placing their goalscoring and experience at the top level beside one another, a gulf quickly appears.
Last season saw the 22-year-old Jackson score just 13 goals in Spain across all competitions, with his £32m price tag a huge fee for someone so unproven. Meanwhile, David would cost slightly more but outranks Jackson in nearly every area.
Comparing them from last season, the Lille star boasts far more shot-creating actions (116 v 47), higher expected assists (5.7 v 2.0), a far higher expected goals tally (23.6 v 8.0) and even more tackles (24 v 14), all across the campaign, via FBref.
After all, the words of podcaster Tony Marinaro still ring true: “To all Canadians, enjoy Jonathan David. He is a student of the game. He does everything right. Simply put, he’s a phenom. One of the best strikers in the world is Canadian.”
For just £20m more, Postecoglou could give his side an even bigger advantage over Chelsea, although, with the acquisition of the forward in question, he would likely set his ambitions at a higher level.
