dyslexic nam Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 34 minutes ago, Aird25 said: I think that would be a great move. It would be a huge step up from Gent, and while Portugal isn't one of the big 4 leagues, Benfica is a massive club that is just in that next tier. He would get great exposure, play in a hugely competitive environment, and if he continues his progression into a world class footballer, he would be ideally positioned to make the jump to the highest level. Obinna, Corazon, cronaldo7 and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympique_de_Marseille Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 3 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said: I think that would be a great move. It would be a huge step up from Gent, and while Portugal isn't one of the big 4 leagues, Benfica is a massive club that is just in that next tier. He would get great exposure, play in a hugely competitive environment, and if he continues his progression into a world class footballer, he would be ideally positioned to make the jump to the highest level. He needs more playing time, he should stay where he is for now. Cblake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dominic94 Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 He’s probably good enough for Benfica now, but Gent clearly know he can be more than he is now and they can get more. Cblake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dyslexic nam Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 1 hour ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said: He needs more playing time, he should stay where he is for now. I wouldn't be disappointed if he stayed and tore up Belgium next year, but i also think he will very quickly get to the point where he could be getting serious minutes for Benfica. I don't think he would have a lost year if he moved now. Obinna and Cblake 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazlo_80 Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 (edited) he's already proven he can rip up Belgium. If there's a bigger, badder challenge i say go for it. Edited August 6, 2019 by lazlo_80 typo Cblake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestHamCanadianinOxford Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 (edited) He seems to be playing all the time at Genk now. Benfica have already brought in Raúl de Tomás, Carlos Vinícius, Jhonder Cádiz in and around the centre forward position, in addition to Seferović who scored 24 goals last season. Would be a strange buy for now, I would think. Rather him play, even behind the strikers. Probably worth it remembering he was not starting with any regularity through good parts of last season. Edited August 6, 2019 by WestHamCanadianinOxford Cblake and Addona 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad_Impact Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 If Benfica spend that much on a player they intend on playing him. They're entire business model is bringing in young talent and selling them for $$$. Cblake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuicyHam Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 I'd love it if a French team was interested a big enough but not impossible jump, popular league with some of the best players in the world and there wouldn't be any language issues Cblake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ansem Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 I think Liga NOS / Benfica might be the right combination in terms of level, playing time and Champions League experience. David would most likely be their starter and would be tested as with this club, winning the cup is the only goal and anything less than champions league is unacceptable. I want our guys to be put in situations where they have this pressure to win and the expectations from fans to perform no matter the circumstances. We need more of that in the National team as we have witness too many collapses, not due to talent...but the inability to deliver under pressure. That's what separates good players and superstars Cblake and Obinna 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestHamCanadianinOxford Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 (edited) Looking further either I would say paper talk or one for the future. I would very much doubt he would start at Benfica. Even losing João Félix,( and his double figures in half a year) they still have their 23 goal top scorer and have really only spent money on forwards and a central midfielder (bringing in 4 in total; 20m Euros and 17m on the two most expensive forwards). And it not like David has a much better record than the top level new guys - de Tomás had 14 goals in La Liga Vinícius had 8 goals in the Portuguese Liga and the 2 more in Ligue 1. Benfica lost 3 goals in 16 appearance from another winger, but unless all of those new arrivals fail spectacularly, not sure there are huge gaps there from a team that did not lose in the second half of the year. Edited August 6, 2019 by WestHamCanadianinOxford Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadaFan123 Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 (edited) Benfica would be a mistake at this point IMO. The fact that Adel Taarabt has been at the club 4 years and has just one start is scary to me. Cristante also managed just one start there. I also feel that as a sort of “outsider” cultural wise he could be turned on very quickly. I can’t say I’m an expert on the club or league but it’s always seemed to me that Benfica is happy to overload itself with talent and a lot of players go there and never see time. Id much rather him be at a club like Ajax or Dortmund. Obviously very talented clubs but I think they would be more committed to him and he would have less of a chance of falling off. Edited August 6, 2019 by CanadaFan123 Cblake and Obinna 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 So far we have seen Benfica, Ajax, Dortmund, Monchengladbach and Friburg linked to David. Interesting we haven't seen any French or English clubs linked to him, but perhaps it's only a matter of time. I still feel like Ligue 1 is the perfect step. It's a better level overall than Portugal or Holland, but low enough that he can get his chances. Plus there is another step up the ladder to be had if he does well. Then you consider language and it should be an easier transition than a Portugal or even a Germany. Cblake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kent Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 I want to see David do it again in Belgium, and to take on a higher workload. As has been pointed out, he didn't play a lot of games last year, so he hasn't proved he is able to handle a full pro season workload yet. I'd like him to do that at a place that knows how to use him. Plus, I have seen too many players have one great year and then drop down a level the next year to want him to take a step up when he just might regress to the mean. I have faith in him, but there are worse things in the world than playing pro soccer in Belgium. He's got lots of time to go to another league later. Cblake and Red and White 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acid-Tone Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 4 hours ago, CanadaFan123 said: Benfica would be a mistake at this point IMO. The fact that Adel Taarabt has been at the club 4 years and has just one start is scary to me. Cristante also managed just one start there. I also feel that as a sort of “outsider” cultural wise he could be turned on very quickly. I can’t say I’m an expert on the club or league but it’s always seemed to me that Benfica is happy to overload itself with talent and a lot of players go there and never see time. Id much rather him be at a club like Ajax or Dortmund. Obviously very talented clubs but I think they would be more committed to him and he would have less of a chance of falling off. I disagree. I think this is a good sign that they are interested, and it would be a good move for David. The current Benfica administration (lead by Sporting Director Rui Costa!) have proven themselves to be one of the shrewdest clubs as far as the transfer market goes. They generally don't spend too much on incoming transfers. I think Raul Jimenez is their all time most expensive buy at 25 million. So if Gent hold out for the rumored 25 million, and Benfica pull the trigger, David would be very close to being the new most expensive Benfica purchase ever. Their scouting department (not to mention their academy) are one of the best in the world. They have made a fortune buying young players and selling them a few years later for a nice profit. For example: Angel Di Maria they bought for 9, sold for 35 million Axel Witsel 10 ---> 45m Ramires 8 ---> 25m Lindelof 4 ---> 40m Rodrigo 7 ---> 34m David Luiz 1 ---> 28m And even Raul Jimenez they ended up selling to Wolves for 40 million! Their manager Bruno Lage has shown he's willing to play young players more than most other managers, and the club clearly knows how to develop them. I think it would be a good stepping stone to eventually get to one of the biggest leagues in the world. dyslexic nam, Dominic94, Stryker911 and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestHamCanadianinOxford Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 Transfer talk can be fun but it is also called the "silly season" here. Let's be clear: No one has said Benfica are bidding are 25 million anything for David. The KAA Gent news twitter account above (unofficial) say "Board stated he's not even leaving the club for €25M". The source they give is a Portuguese paper/site called A Bola. The article about it online from there does not give any number. They do say they are keen but also this (Google translate) Benfica are considering moving to their signing, even if at an early stage the intention is to include him in Team B. https://www.abola.pt/nacional/Noticias/Ver/800399 (the comments are fun on that, we have comparisons ranging from wondering if he is Freddy Adu to Eusébio) So a fan account saying he will not go even for €25M, is just like our (West Ham) sites saying Issa Diop or Declan Rice would not go for £60 mill, when someone writes that one of the Manchester clubs are sniffing about. (Speaking of Jimenez and Benfica, the paper talk for a while was that he didn't come to us and ended up a Benfica that window because he overslept and missed the flight to his medical. He rubbished that himself after going to Wolves saying that West Ham were a loan and then Benfica came in with a permanent offer and they picked the latter. Which makes sense, to be fair. All that said, we will see; anything can happen. I would rather see him keep playing first team football but great academies are great academies, as well. Cblake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unnamed Trialist Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 8 minutes ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said: Transfer talk can be fun but it is also called the "silly season" here. Let's be clear: No one has said Benfica are bidding are 25 million anything for David. The KAA Gent news twitter account above (unofficial) say "Board stated he's not even leaving the club for €25M". The source they give is a Portuguese paper/site called A Bola. The article about it online from there does not give any number. Obviously that is a negotiation price. They are setting a high mark and seeing if Benfica will come in with half, and they may take it. I think right now even 10 million to Gent for David is a deal. They know perfectly well that if he has a bit of a drought year, or gets an injury, the price will not even be 3 million next summer. A Bola is one of the two most important sports dailies in Portugal. Benfica does develop players well, but also loans out a lot. Cblake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestHamCanadianinOxford Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 22 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said: A Bola is one of the two most important sports dailies in Portugal. Maybe. But I have seen Gazzetto della Sport and pretty much any paper in England print a whole lot of rubbish this time of year. 26 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said: They are setting a high mark and seeing if Benfica will come in with half, and they may take it Important to remember it is not from the club but from a fan Twitter site. (Yes, living in England has made me very media cynical. Canadian media is so boring and correct much of the time.) Cblake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestHamCanadianinOxford Posted August 8, 2019 Share Posted August 8, 2019 (edited) Short new article on this from the original source, a Portuguese paper with a Benfica section, A Bola (Via Google translate) "19-year-old Canadian striker Jonathan David, who has a contract with the Belgians from Gent until 2022, is on Benfica's radar, as BALL [usual paper self-reference] has already realized. The eventual deal could be materialized in the order of 12 million euros. The Belgian club has already turned down bids from the € 9m player and has even admitted that he would decline any offer under € 25m. Jonathan David is now considered the most valuable player in the Belgian club and was totalist in all four official games already played by Gent. The Benfica has the very well referenced striker and ponders proposal." https://www.abola.pt/Clubes/Noticias/Ver/800543/40 Edited August 8, 2019 by WestHamCanadianinOxford maccaliam, Corazon, Cblake and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dominic94 Posted August 8, 2019 Share Posted August 8, 2019 Didn’t they sign him for free ? Cblake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reign Posted August 8, 2019 Share Posted August 8, 2019 4 minutes ago, Dominic94 said: Didn’t they sign him for free ? Gent ? Yes. Cblake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadaFan123 Posted August 8, 2019 Share Posted August 8, 2019 6 minutes ago, Reign said: Gent ? Yes. Indeed, however they'll owe solidarity payments to his youth club. That Ottawa club is about to get a serious cash windfall. Maybe they can be the new CPL team? hamiltonfan, Cblake, king1010 and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestHamCanadianinOxford Posted August 8, 2019 Share Posted August 8, 2019 I had not noticed that Gent had resigned Depoitre (who was anonymous for Huddersfield last year but had a handful of goals to help them stay up the year before). He is more like the other two strikers Gent play than David but maybe the rumours have some legs. Cblake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lansdude Posted August 15, 2019 Share Posted August 15, 2019 Couple goals in his Europa League match today against a Cypriot outfit. Can't find highlights. johnyb and Cblake 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bdog Posted August 15, 2019 Share Posted August 15, 2019 12 minutes ago, Lansdude said: Couple goals in his Europa League match today against a Cypriot outfit. Can't find highlights. Apparently both were in stoppage time at the end of the game. johnyb and Cblake 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympique_de_Marseille Posted August 15, 2019 Share Posted August 15, 2019 6 minutes ago, Bdog said: Apparently both were in stoppage time at the end of the game. He can go back to being a sub at club level, he only scores late anyways! Cblake, Addona and WestHamCanadianinOxford 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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