After years of speculation, Canadian striker Jonathan David has found a new home.
Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano reported during the night of Canada Day that David would sign for Juventus. According to Romano, David will also have his medical in Turin on Friday.
For years, David was rumoured to leave Lille. He has been linked to clubs such as Napoli, AC Milan, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur for what feels like forever.
The 25-year-old left Lille on a free transfer after scoring 109 goals and tallying 30 assists for 232 appearances across all competitions. David was integral in Lille’s Ligue 1 title win in the 2020-21 season.
Now the most sought-after free agent is off the market and he will be playing for one of the biggest clubs in Italy and the world.
Why the Canadian striker needed this move
This was long overdue. David should have left Lille two or even three years ago. However, a move never materialized for whatever reason.
He is more than ready for the move to Juventus. For years, David has been one of Europe’s most consistent strikers. Since breaking through with Gent of the Belgian Pro League in 2018-18, he has scored in the double digits every season. That includes a 24-goal campaign with Lille in 2022-23.
Only six players have scored more than 13 goals in the top five European leagues since 2020: Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Robert Lewandowski, Mohammed Salah and David. For the Canadian striker, that is an elite company to be a part of.
At Juventus, David has a chance to raise his stock higher. He also has a chance to become a top striker in the soccer world. Some may argue that it would take David time to adapt to Serie A and question the quality of Ligue 1. Plus, a large chunk of David’s goals were penalties. However, Serie A has improved in recent years and has become more competitive. It is also a physical and defensive league.
David will play in the UEFA Champions League next season with Juventus. With Lille, he played in the UCL twice; in the 2021-22 season and last season. He has 10 total Champions League goals, including seven last season.
It was about time David left Lille. And what a club he chose, an Italian and world soccer giant.
A look at Juventus
Once upon a time, Juventus ruled Italy. From 2011-12 to 2019-20, The Old Lady won nine straight Serie A titles. But those days are long gone. Napoli, Inter Milan and AC Milan have shared the Scudetto over the last five years.
This past season, Juventus finished fourth in the Serie A table with an 18-16-4 record and 70 points. That was barely enough to qualify for the UCL and they were only a point ahead of fifth-placed Roma.
Juventus struggled and drew a lot in the middle of the season. In late March, the Juventus brass took action after a 4-0 home defeat to Atalanta and a 3-0 away defeat to Fiorentina. Head coach Thiago Motta was fired after just eight months in charge. Igor Tudor was brought in as his replacement. Motta’s possession-based system and his eccentric 2-7-2 formation simply weren’t working.
Tudor is a name familiar to Juventus fans. He played for them as a centre-back from 1998 to 2007 and was an assistant coach under Andrea Pirlo in the 2020-21 season. Unlike Motta, Tudor’s tactics are more direct and attacking based.
The attack was an issue for Juventus last season. Their top scorer in Serie A was Dusan Vlahovic, who had 10 goals. Vlahovic has been heavily rumoured to leave Juventus this summer especially with David coming in.
In Serie A, Juventus scored 57 goals and that was seventh. Their expected goals per 90 minutes were also seventh in Serie A at 1.34. The Old Lady’s non-penalty xG was at 1.22 and that was also seventh. One of the reasons why Juventus struggled in their attack was because of their lack of creating scoring chances. They were ninth in the league in goal-creating actions per 90 minutes with 2.47. In the UCL, they only scored 12 times in 10 games. For a big club like Juventus, those numbers are not good enough.
Juventus also were knocked out of the Coppa Italia on penalties to Empoli (that club was relegated to Serie B last season) in the quarterfinals. In the Suppercopa Italiana, they fell to eventual winners AC Milan in the semi-finals. The Champions League wasn’t much better as Juventus finished 20th in the league phase and got knocked out by Dutch side PSV in the play-off round. At the new FIFA Club World Cup, Juventus were ousted in the Round of 16 by Real Madrid.
2024-25 was a failure for Juventus as they were trophyless.
How David fits in at Juventus.
So, where does David come in? More importantly, how does he fit in Turin?
As mentioned, Tudor is more direct and more attacking in his managerial style. He also wants his team to press. That is something David is very familiar with. With Canada, David plays under Jesse Marsch’s pressing system.
Tudor typically plays a 3-4-2-1 system or even a 3-4-3. In the build-up, the formation often switches to a 2-3-2 shape and midfielder Manuel Locatelli drops back to be an acting centre-back. The transitions are also quick and rely on the wingbacks out wide and it leaves gaps in the central areas.
In the offensive half, Juventus presses a lot. They try to pin the opponent in their own half and apply man-to-man pressure to force their opponent to try to get out by the long ball.
In this system, the striker, usually Vlahovic, drops back. This way it lures the defenders out of position and opens up space. Vlahovic wins the balls back from the defenders and orchestrates the build-up.
This role suits David perfectly. With Canada and Lille, he is known for dropping back. David’s defensive work and tactical intelligence are big reasons why he is a top striker and his pace and technical ability make him suited for a team that uses quick transitions.
David may not have the strength and size Vlahovic has, but he can win duels and is very capable of pressing. When Juventus goalkeeper Michel Di Gregorio kicks the ball into the midfield, David can try and win the ball back to prevent the opponent from going on the counter. Then, he can make use of his central attacking midfielders or wingers (Kenan Yildiz, Francisco Conceição, or even Teun Koopmeiners) and wingbacks (Alberto Costa and Andrea Cambasio) for a quick transitional play.
If Juventus are in the offensive zone pressing, David would stay centrally with the two tens/wingers cutting inside or roaming in and around the box. The two fullbacks would stay out wide and almost hug the touchline. David would wait for the service or drop back and press and pounce on the loose balls.
Here is what Juventus could potentially look like in Tudor’s 3-4-2-1 system.
Tudor’s pressing and quick transitional system fits David’s skill set. He is an upgrade on Vlahovic and could potentially solve Juventus’ attacking woes if he adapts well and gets service.
It is also worth noting that David may not be the only striker that Juventus could sign this summer. Tudor may want to switch to a two striker system and one of the names Juventus is rumoured to be looking at is Napoli’s Victor Osimhen. (Spent 2024-25 on loan at Galatasaray.)
David is also well suited to the two-striker system, as seen with Canada. If Juventus do sign Osimhen, his pressing, aerial ability and finishing mixed with David’s technical abilities, dropping back, passing and finishing could be a deadly duo with Yildiz behind them.
It is also possible that Tudor can stick to the 3-4-2-1 and have Osimhen up front and have David be one of the two 10s. He can play as a 10 and has played there with Gent.
Either way, the Canadian striker looks like he is a good tactical fit.
Can David spark their attack and lead Juventus back to glory? What does this mean for Canada?
Juventus and their fans are starving to reclaim the Scudetto. Not only that, they are still looking for their first UCL title since 1996.
David won’t magically change Juventus’ fortunes overnight and it may still take a couple of years for The Old Lady to return to Europe’s elite. However, David will be part of the revitalization in Turin and a symbol of hope for Juventus fans. The Canadian striker has the chance to take his game to another level with Juventus and prove he can be among the game’s best. Juventus has got the depth and will still make improvements to their attack and other areas this summer.
For Canada, this is huge. A Canadian will be playing for one of Europe’s most prestigious clubs. Juventus games will be watched closely by Canadians. David has the chance to also add to his legacy and pave the way for Canadians coming to and in Europe.
With David joining Juventus and Alphonso Davies at Bayern Munich, the faces of the Canadian men’s national team can now shine on the big stage. Now, it is up to David to hit the ground running and do what he does best.
