Enzo Maresca and his new Chelsea side begin their Premier League campaign by facing last year's champions, Manchester City, on Sunday.
Having already lost to them 4-2 in pre-season, Chelsea will be hoping to flip the script, and not come away from the game only scoring two goals, despite creating five "big chances".
On the day, Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu both spurned massive opportunities and if the Blues want to beat the best teams in the league, they will need to convert their big chances, hence the growing interest in a striker acquisition, particularly Napoli's Victor Osimhen.
Osimhen has scored 65 goals in Serie A in his 108 appearances for Napoli, also providing 16 assists in that time. The 2022/23 Golden Boot winner is now very highly regarded and is seen as one of Chelsea's top targets.
Chelsea transfer news
According to French football expert Jonathan Johnson, via CaughtOffside, Lille striker Jonathan David, could be a story to keep an eye on going into the final weeks of the summer transfer window.
The expert stated that "it is possible that Chelsea or Tottenham could revisit their interest" in the forward before the window concludes.
The 24-year-old doesn't look like he is going to sign a new contract with Lille, and therefore, they will want to resolve his situation in order to avoid him leaving the club on a free next summer.
David made 47 appearances for Lille in all competitions last season, scoring 26 goals, providing nine assists, and totalling 3,615 minutes played.
David vs Osimhen comparison
Jacek Kulig described David as "superb" back in 2021, alluding to his excellent second half of the 2020/21 campaign, where he scored 11 times in 25 games.
David has shown his goal-scoring ability over the past few years, bagging 85 goals in his 185 games for Lille, including a 26-goal in 40 game season in 2022/23. So, he clearly find the back of the net, but what else can he provide?
Goals
0.66
0.62
Assists
0.19
0.11
xG
0.66
0.65
Shots Total
2.76
3.69
Shots on Target
1.54
1.53
Goals/Shot
0.21
0.14
Shot-Creating Actions
2.59
2.47
Progressive Carries
1.49
1.59
Touches (Att Pen)
4.54
6.83
Aerials Won
0.75
1.81
Shot-creating actions are pieces of play that lead to a shot. These include moments such as a pass, take-on or foul being drawn.
David's best asset is his clinical finishing, and composure in front of goal, and this is massively backed up by his metrics. Averaging 0.66 goals per 90, whilst accumulating 0.66 xG per 90, and scoring at a rate of 0.21 goals/shot ratio.
Not only this, but the Canada star does this by taking fewer shots than Osimhen, averaging 2,76 shots per 90, whilst actually averaging more shots on target, despite having almost one whole fewer shot per 90.
One area Osimhen clearly dominates, though, is with his box presence, averaging over two more penalty area touches per 90, and more than double the number of aerials won per 90. This is a profile Chelsea have been lacking for some time now, and David, whilst being a clinical finisher, doesn't bring that same physical profile of an Osimhen.
That said, David – whom journalist Tony Marinaro described as "one of the best strikers in the world" – would offer Chelsea a much cheaper alternative to Osimhen, whilst bringing a higher level of clinical finishing.
The main question, though, would be whether he offers enough in the finishing department, to abandon their desire for a box dominator.
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