Arsenal: Is Jonathan David the perfect striker target?

Jonathan David’s Weaknesses as a Striker

The varied striker role David has at Lille is perfectly dovetailed with Burak Yılmaz’s more physically dominating usage. The pair work off each other effectively and were it not for some wasteful finishing from the Turk this season then David would have some assists to his name this term.

While this system allows the Canadian to drop off and play on the shoulder, when he moves into wide areas his less favourable traits come out. One-on-one he isn’t especially effective, which is surprising considering his excellent pace.

Some of his one-touch flicks are delightful, but as a dribbler with the ball at his feet there are some technical weaknesses: sometimes his touch can be slightly clunky and his lack of top-level experience sees him hold onto the ball for too long or release too early.

Not quite assertive with the ball at his feet – other than his superb finishing – while his passing accuracy is good there is certainly room for more punch in terms of decisiveness and incision. Watching him it feels like sometimes his feet have to catch up to his electric movement and pace.

Only a smidgen taller than Lacazette – and still under six foot – understandably he doesn’t boast brilliant aerial numbers. Playing alongside the more dominant Yilmaz, who is always an option in the air, his lowly 23.7% of aerials won (10th percentile) aren’t as damaging to his current side as they would be elsewhere.

All of which can sound especially harsh, but it isn’t: David is the top scorer in Ligue 1 for a reason and the queues for his signature will see him last but two seasons in France before being moved on. A transfer is inevitable, and this despite the aforementioned barren spell he suffered as he found his feet in Lille.

Is there something here for Arsenal? Is David a player perfectly crafted for Arteta?

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