Everton

Everton

Premier League • England

Everton learn why they may struggle to land prolific goalscorer they are ‘very interested’ in

Jonathan David, Marco Verratti, Lille v PSG, August 2022

Everton could miss out on prolific Lille goalscorer Jonathan David due to a few factors, despite being ‘very interested’.

David has shown time and time again over the past few seasons how much of a talent he is. Indeed, across his first two seasons as a Lille player, he scored 28 goals in Ligue 1, as well as providing three assists.

The second of those seasons, last term, he was the fifth-highest goalscorer in the league. He also notched three Champions League goals in eight appearances last campaign.

This season, he has continued in his fine form. David has bagged nine league goals and also has two assists – he is level at the top of the league scoring table with Neymar.

The nine league goals that David has scored this season account for half of the total Lille have scored.

Indeed, he is clearly a very important asset for the French side.

His potent nature in front of goal has led to admiration from elsewhere. Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg reports that Premier League side Everton are ‘very interested’ in the Canadian.

Jonathan David would benefit Everton

Having a player like David in their ranks would be a massive benefit for Everton. Indeed, they have just lost their most potent asset, Richarlison, to Tottenham.

What’s more, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has played just 38 minutes this term, as he is being eased back into the mix following a knee injury.

This season, Everton have scored just eight Premier League goals – one of the lowest totals across the whole of the league.

Indeed, adding a prolific striker to the attack would go a long way to rectifying that.

Transfer unlikely for a few reasons

Despite Everton’s interest in the star, it seems a tough ask for them to pull the signing off. There are a number of reasons why that is the case.

Firstly, David has no release clause, and Plettenberg states that his price would be more than €50million (£43.5million). Everton did make just over that from the sale of Richarlison.

However, they also spent nearly £70million in the summer. As such, there is a good chance they would not have the funds to pull the deal off.

Furthermore, David reportedly wants to move to a ‘top 12′ European club.

Last season, Everton narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League, and are currently 14th.

As such, they do not seem to fit the bill as David’s next destination. With the form he has shown for the past few seasons, it would not be a surprise if a big club comes in for him soon, anyway.

With that being said, the Toffees’ chances of landing him seem fairly slim at present.

Meanwhile, a recent Everton addition could soon have suitors knocking on the door for him.