View: Jonathan David would be a brilliant Tottenham replacement for Harry Kane
Harry Kane might not leave Tottenham this summer, but he could very well depart the club for free next year.
As Kane enters into the final year of his contract the striker’s situation in North London is only becoming more tense. So far Daniel Levy has resisted any offers to sell him this summer. However, his Tottenham career could still end soon.
There is no guarantee that if Spurs are to hold on to their talisman during the current transfer window he will sign fresh terms with the club, and they therefore run the risk of losing their star man and getting nothing in return.
Only one scenario would see Kane remain at the club beyond next summer; a new contract. That is it. Without that new deal being signed, Spurs will need to start planning for a future without their club-record goalscorer, regardless of whether or not they keep hold of him this year.
Richarlison has failed to live up to expectations since his switch from Everton last summer and there are question marks over whether the Brazillian can fill the boots of arguably Spurs’ greatest-ever striker. In all fairness, who can?
That is a question the club might need to answer soon and one possible solution is Canadian striker Jonathan David, who has been linked with a move to the Premier League.
As reported by L’Equipe (13 July), Spurs are keeping an eye on the Lille striker who scored 24 goals in 37 league appearances last season. At the age of just 23, David could have a big future ahead of him.
As per stats provided by FBREF, David scored 0.68 goals per 90 over the past year, placing him in the top nine per cent of strikers across Europe’s top five leagues. Kane also scored 0.68 goals per 90 last season, emphasising how brilliant David’s return was.
The Candian racked up an XG of 0.67 per 90 throughout the last year, bettering Kane’s XG of 0.55 per 90, demonstrating how he would often find himself in the right place at the right time.
One of Kane’s most brilliant traits is his passing range as well as his goalscoring prowess. This is something which last season David matched. The Lille striker was in the top three per cent compared to his positional peers across Europe for his pass completion rate, registering an average of 81.8 per cent per 90, far better than Kane’s 68.4 per cent.
David’s passing ability was also there for all to see across multiple distances, ranking in the top ten per cent for his completion rate over both a short and medium distance as well as the top one per cent across long distance, completing an impressive 93.3 per cent of his passes when going long.
His ability to link up with players around him is also evident as he made 1.54 passes into the final third and 0.97 passes into the penalty area per 90.
David was also more involved in the final third over the past year than Kane, making 6.08 touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 compared with Kane’s 4.43. David’s all-round game was once again on display via the number of carries he would make per 90 (27.66) which placed him in the top 12 per cent of his European peers.
While these stats by no means suggest David could instantly replace what Kane means and brings to Tottenham, especially considering they are a reflection of a player playing in a far less competitive league, it is still a good start.
Ultimately Spurs will never be able to truly replace Kane but they will eventually need to at least try, and with David already registering impressive numbers at such a young age, he could perhaps develop into a world-class striker in North London.
In other Tottenham news, the club are set to benefit from the financial gains of a pre-season tour.