Jonathan David

[El Diego]

I think Napoli are getting a new manager for next season? Their current manager (Calzona) is their third manager of this season and I think his deal only runs until the end of the season. If the move to Napoli does go through, hopefully the new manager is a David fan. Interestingly, Calzona is also the current manager of the Slovakian national team.

[dyslexic nam]

50 minutes ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

I do hope he waits to see where they end up but fun move to watch any which way.

Not me.  If he has a clear path out of Lille and can upgrade teams and leagues, I want him jumping ship ASAP.   European footy is nice but it is nothing like a deal breaker for me.  Napoli is traditionally a strong team that dukes it out in the various European competitions.  Even if he has to accept one year out of the elite tournament, I want him to go.  

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

16 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said:

Not me.  If he has a clear path out of Lille and can upgrade teams and leagues, I want him jumping ship ASAP.   European footy is nice but it is nothing like a deal breaker for me.  Napoli is traditionally a strong team that dukes it out in the various European competitions.  Even if he has to accept one year out of the elite tournament, I want him to go.  

Maybe if they were the only team in for him, but that's not the case.  And most if not all the rumours are upgrades.  

Time is on his side not theirs. No rush.

We our want our guys playing the highest level they can and especially for Jonathan David that includes Europe. Especially going into the years before the World Cup.

[dyslexic nam]

4 hours ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

Maybe if they were the only team in for him, but that's not the case.  And most if not all the rumours are upgrades.  

Time is on his side not theirs. No rush.

We our want our guys playing the highest level they can and especially for Jonathan David that includes Europe. Especially going into the years before the World Cup.

Not to be argumentative but there have been amazing rumours for a couple of years now.  And not one of them have panned out   With JD able to move on a  free next year we could easily be looking at yet another season of him not being found by teammates while constantly making runs into good spaces.   

I also think a club like Napoli isn’t a compromise.  Yeah he can be lethal - but he can also disappear from games offensively.  Maybe some of that is on the club but he didn’t exactly impose himself as an offensive force against Villa.  I think it’s a stretch to think he deserves a move to a club bigger and better than Napoli.  And if he did get one, we might find that he isn’t getting the sort of playing time we hoped for a la Tajon. 
 

Edited April 19 by dyslexic nam

[InglewoodJack]

 I feel like a big purpose of European games is getting attention from big clubs and upping his stock. If he’s already at Napoli, I don’t think that‘s as necessary anymore. If he’s performing against Inter, Juve, Milan, etc. on a regular basis, I can’t see how European games outside of a deep champions league run really changes much. If Napoli miss out on Europe this year, I doubt they’ll be out for long. 

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

28 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

 I feel like a big purpose of European games is getting attention from big clubs and upping his stock. If he’s already at Napoli, I don’t think that‘s as necessary anymore. If he’s performing against Inter, Juve, Milan, etc. on a regular basis, I can’t see how European games outside of a deep champions league run really changes much. If Napoli miss out on Europe this year, I doubt they’ll be out for long. 

Respectfully, somewhat short-sighted.

The year they are out is half the time to World Cup.

In Europe, beyond the glamour ties, you are going to sometimes small  hostile grounds, playing good and bad teams, playing more often with short turn around and travel.  Perfect for keeping a Canadian national team player in form.

 

Plus its a spectators sport at the end of the day, more and different match to care about and watch. 

 

Lazio won today but I am cheering Napoli on for the rest of the year, in hope it all works out. 

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

1 hour ago, dyslexic nam said:

Not to be argumentative but there have been amazing rumours for a couple of years now.  And not one of them have panned out   With JD able to move on a  free next year we could easily be looking at yet another season of him not being found by teammates while constantly making runs into good spaces.   

I also think a club like Napoli isn’t a compromise.  Yeah he can be lethal - but he can also disappear from games offensively.  Maybe some of that is on the club but he didn’t exactly impose himself as an offensive force against Villa.  I think it’s a stretch to think he deserves a move to a club bigger and better than Napoli.  And if he did get one, we might find that he isn’t getting the sort of playing time we hoped for a la Tajon. 
 

Argumentative is part of what this is about.

 

But agree to disagree, see some more of my reasons in the previous post. 

 

[InglewoodJack]

8 hours ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

Respectfully, somewhat short-sighted.

The year they are out is half the time to World Cup.

In Europe, beyond the glamour ties, you are going to sometimes small  hostile grounds, playing good and bad teams, playing more often with short turn around and travel.  Perfect for keeping a Canadian national team player in form.

 

Plus its a spectators sport at the end of the day, more and different match to care about and watch. 

 

Lazio won today but I am cheering Napoli on for the rest of the year, in hope it all works out. 

It’s not that European games are unimportant- they very much aren’t, but I think Série A has plenty of big games against good teams in very hostile environments, and so if JD transfers at the expense of missing out on one year of European ball, I don’t think it’s necessarily the worst thing in the world. I think the number of clubs who could offer him a challenge he couldn’t face in Italy are very small, and in all likelihood, Napoli will spend the Osimhen profits on a team capable of ensuring the rest of JD’ time in Naples will have European games. Of course, if an opportunity to play for an even more successful club presents itself, I would want him to take it, but if the choice is either Napoli or playing out his contract at Lille, I think Napoli is by far the way to go. 

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

3 hours ago, InglewoodJack said:

It’s not that European games are unimportant- they very much aren’t, but I think Série A has plenty of big games against good teams in very hostile environments, and so if JD transfers at the expense of missing out on one year of European ball, I don’t think it’s necessarily the worst thing in the world. I think the number of clubs who could offer him a challenge he couldn’t face in Italy are very small, and in all likelihood, Napoli will spend the Osimhen profits on a team capable of ensuring the rest of JD’ time in Naples will have European games. Of course, if an opportunity to play for an even more successful club presents itself, I would want him to take it, but if the choice is either Napoli or playing out his contract at Lille, I think Napoli is by far the way to go. 

 

I guess we will see.  I would at least want a coach in place before I signed expecting an immediate bounce back.

The de Laurentis family can be great and showy salespeople of course.  I just feel there is a lot that has gone wrong recently to be jumping at their pitch so early.

 

Supporting them against Empoli today, in hopes they finish strong at least.

[costarg]

20 hours ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

We our want our guys playing the highest level they can and especially for Jonathan David that includes Europe. Especially going into the years before the World Cup.

Europe would be ideal, but Serie A offers a lot of high level matches and environments even without Europe.  The way its lining up, looks like they may have the most representation in Europe next year with 6 as well.  So Napoli don't even have to make Champions League to play more matches vs Champions League level opponents.

In Europe, the last 4-5 years, Lille have only played maybe 3-4 teams that make the top 10 in Serie A.  (Chelsea, Valencia, Seville, maybe Ajax in a good year).

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

30 minutes ago, costarg said:

Europe would be ideal, but Serie A offers a lot of high level matches and environments even without Europe.  The way its lining up, looks like they may have the most representation in Europe next year with 6 as well.  So Napoli don't even have to make Champions League to play more matches vs Champions League level opponents.

In Europe, the last 4-5 years, Lille have only played maybe 3-4 teams that make the top 10 in Serie A.  (Chelsea, Valencia, Seville, maybe Ajax in a good year).

They will have more than 6, they have secured an extra spot and they started with 7. 

But just by that argument - he should go to Freiberg , safely in a league with a bunch of "top" teams.

Again Europe is not just about playing good teams (from someone who has watched a lot of European games in the last 3 years.)  See above.

 

But he can go to Napoli if that is the best offer on the table at the end of the season when everything shakes out.  This minute, they are trending downward, in relative organizational limbo and some of their best players don't want to be there.  Do we not want to see if he could do better?  

 

There no benefits to him (maybe his agents) to jumping before all the clubs know where they stand.  Is there?

Edited April 20 by WestHamCanadianinOxford

[SoccMan]

If he goes to Napoli and starts and plays well and scores on a consistent basis , he will be doing it in a higher caliber league than France’s top league . Moreover, aside from this year on a team that has consistently been a top four team in Italy for awhile now . We can only wish that more of our players played in Serie A and for a team like Napoli . 

[Unnamed Trialist]

I'm against him going to Napoli for a number of reasons:

1-not doing that great this season, and no clear project for the future. Not in Europe.

2-they'd compare him with the last Lille striker who went there, and inevitably, he'd compare poorly. Prefer to avoid that scenario.

3-Napoli are historically too unstable, they do their own thing, they have huge swings. And in the Italian context, they are always an oddity, that is their charm, for some. I don't see them that way.

[costarg]

52 minutes ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

But he can go to Napoli if that is the best offer on the table at the end of the season when everything shakes out.  This minute, they are trending downward, in relative organizational limbo and some of their best players don't want to be there.  Do we not want to see if he could do better?  

Ya, its a good point, there is a lot of drama there at the moment, but does a strong team at a top level without drama even exist?  Man U, Man City, Barca, Real, Bayern, PSG, Juve.....

I feel its a good level.  He "should" thrive and play regularly.  My biggest concern is he moves and doesn't play.

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

Just now, costarg said:

Ya, its a good point, there is a lot of drama there at the moment, but does a strong team at a top level without drama even exist?  Man U, Man City, Barca, Real, Bayern, PSG, Juve.....

I feel its a good level.  He "should" thrive and play regularly.  My biggest concern is he moves and doesn't play.

The drama doesn't translate into going from 1st to 8th for most though. (Currently losing to relegation-battling Empoli).

It's a great level with lots of competition as you say and I would love to see him in that league.  But Milan are probably looking and maybe even Inter.  Again just wait and see. 

[Craig11rm]

I just want to see JD play with some players that can see his runs and get the ball to him. So often during his Lille career he’s been wide open for a tap-in or he’s getting in behind the back line and they don’t find him because they take a selfish shot or they have their heads down. 

[InglewoodJack]

6 hours ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

 

I guess we will see.  I would at least want a coach in place before I signed expecting an immediate bounce back.

The de Laurentis family can be great and showy salespeople of course.  I just feel there is a lot that has gone wrong recently to be jumping at their pitch so early.

 

3 hours ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

They will have more than 6, they have secured an extra spot and they started with 7. 

But just by that argument - he should go to Freiberg , safely in a league with a bunch of "top" teams.

Again Europe is not just about playing good teams (from someone who has watched a lot of European games in the last 3 years.)  See above.

 

But he can go to Napoli if that is the best offer on the table at the end of the season when everything shakes out.  This minute, they are trending downward, in relative organizational limbo and some of their best players don't want to be there.  Do we not want to see if he could do better?  

 

There no benefits to him (maybe his agents) to jumping before all the clubs know where they stand.  Is there?

 

3 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I'm against him going to Napoli for a number of reasons:

1-not doing that great this season, and no clear project for the future. Not in Europe.

2-they'd compare him with the last Lille striker who went there, and inevitably, he'd compare poorly. Prefer to avoid that scenario.

3-Napoli are historically too unstable, they do their own thing, they have huge swings. And in the Italian context, they are always an oddity, that is their charm, for some. I don't see them that way.

I agree with all of these points. I’m operating on the assumption that there are no better offers out there. There’s that bit about Chelsea being interested and the Milan rumours have been around forever, both better options IMO, but that Inter twitter fan page which was the first page to really gas up the Tajon to Inter rumours, so I’m thinking this rumour might have a bit more steam than what we’ve heard in the past.

For Napoli specifically though, I like the idea of him playing up front with Kvaratskhelia and Politano- both are very good playmakers, and for how much we complain about Lille not being able to get him good service, that would be a perfect set up for his skill set. Not sure who will be leaving in the off-season though, but if the only major change is Osimhen leaving, tactically, I think it could bring out the best version of David.

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

25 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

 

 

I agree with all of these points. I’m operating on the assumption that there are no better offers out there. There’s that bit about Chelsea being interested and the Milan rumours have been around forever, both better options IMO, but that Inter twitter fan page which was the first page to really gas up the Tajon to Inter rumours, so I’m thinking this rumour might have a bit more steam than what we’ve heard in the past.

For Napoli specifically though, I like the idea of him playing up front with Kvaratskhelia and Politano- both are very good playmakers, and for how much we complain about Lille not being able to get him good service, that would be a perfect set up for his skill set. Not sure who will be leaving in the off-season though, but if the only major change is Osimhen leaving, tactically, I think it could bring out the best version of David.

One observation about the two you mention and one question.

Both have been linked away and the lack of Champions League has stoked that when it became a reality. 

Are they playmakers or are they good crossers, for those that watch them more? A lot of  Osimhen's goals I have seen - that he didn't just make from nothing on his own - were headers or cleaning up rubbish from headers (which David can do if someone keeps it alive). 

Unfortunately if I look at the Nigerian's  goal compilations, David doesn't score a lot of those. But  maybe he scores different ones based on what else is in the team or what else they spend the money on?

[Obinna]

I wouldn't say Napoli are my preferred destination, but this whole thing has gone on so long that I am just happy to hear this is near the end. There were so many links over the years, some that seemed very interesting (Inter, AC Milan, Spurs, Real Madrid) and some others that really scared (Man U, Chelsea, Brentford). Napoli are somewhere in the middle for me, I think.

The key is that he'll get playing time. I have no doubts about that. Maybe he could have gone a bit bigger than Napoli, but they are big enough and important enough. And again, he'll get plenty of Minutes.

No European games is a bummer, but would allow them to focus on the league. They'll probably get back in the following season, so I am not too worried about that one. 

[narduch]

Starting v Srasbourg. 

Its on Fubo and BeIn

[dyslexic nam]

Literally just turned in and apparently he scored.  

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

Cabella pounches on a Strasburg mistake and feeds David for an easy opener 

[narduch]

 

 

[cronaldo7]

One of my favourite comments I’ve seen from a Lille fan on Twitter.

English translation:

“over time we will have to talk again about this incredible machine that is Jonhatan David...never injured, 3 lungs, the coolness of a hitman...his replacement will be crucial for the future of the club...what a player ..which player..”

[Joe MacCarthy]