Who is Jonathan David? Young Gent striker and reported Arsenal transfer target
The latest young star attracting interest from across Europe is Canadian striker Jonathan David.
The 20-year-old from Brooklyn, New York, who grew up in Ottawa, is reportedly a transfer target for Arsenal and on the radar of a number of other clubs.
David's scoring record for Gent and Canada ranks him alongside the most prolific forwards in the game.
The striker appears destined to be a big name during the next transfer window.
Here's everything you need to know so far...
Career
Jonathan David came through the ranks at Ottawa-based amateur clubs Gloucester Dragons, Ottawa Gloucester Hornets and Ottawa Internationals.
Meanwhile, he joined the Canada youth team set up in 2015 and announced himself with two goals in the Concacaf Under-17 Championship in 2017.
David then represented his country at the 2018 Toulon Tournament, which England won, but failed to score.
The young striker had impressed scouts from Belgian club Gent earlier in 2018, joining for the start of the 2018-19 season once he had turned 18. He scored a last-gasp equaliser on his debut against Zulte Waregem.
A few days later, David came off the bench in the Europa League to score an 85th-minute winner in a 1-0 win over Polish side Jagiellonia Białystok.
He made it four goals in his first three games with two against Waasland-Beveren and was subsequently rewarded with a new contract.
A few weeks later, he made his senior international debut, scoring twice in an 8-0 victory over the US Virgin Islands, having earlier rejected a call-up to the United States' Under-20 setup.
To date, David has scored 37 goals in 83 games for Gent and a remarkable 11 in 12 for the senior Canada team, being named Canadian Men's Player of the Year for 2019.
His contract with Gent runs until the summer of 2023.
His 'one goal'
David told Sport magazine in 2019 that his sole aim in football was to play in Europe, with an interest in Canadian football or Major League Soccer lacking during his youth.
"I only had one goal: to get to Europe," he said of his teenage years. "Football was a small sport in Canada for a long time - you could tell by the media attention - but that is now gradually changing.
"Actually, we need a World Cup qualification to popularise football, because now it's mainly the football freaks that follow us.
"The historic victory against the US [in October 2019], a team from which Canada had not been able to win for 34 years, has brought about a lot."
Interest in David
Gent chairman Ivan De Witte said in January 2020: "There is interest in Jonathan David and Roman Yaremchuk, among others. A departure is not an issue. If possible, we also want to keep them with us next year.
"They are part of the backbone of Gent and if we can add anything to that we will have a really very strong team."
"If a club bid €20million for David, we will of course think about it. But honestly, even in that scenario, I don't think a transfer in January is an issue."
David's plans
He said in January 2020: "If clubs show interest, they should speak with my agent. My head is with Gent and I want to win as many matches as possible here."
The Belgian top-flight has now been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, leaving Club Brugge crowned champions and Gent finishing 15 points back in second place, meaning David can look ahead.
He told the Guardian recently: "I just need to take a good step where I can make sure I am getting enough time on the pitch to keep developing. I don’t want to go somewhere and just stay on the bench, so it’s about taking the right step.
"I want to become one of the best strikers in the world. That’s my goal. The Premier League is the best in the world and most competitive so obviously that is somewhere I would love to play in the future."
