Introducing Liverpool's NEXT No9: 'Complete, generous and highly-effective'

There is one clear winner among the candidates vying to become Liverpool’s next No9. With Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez slated to leave the club, space will be opening up in the Reds’ centre-forward department.

We’ve heard about Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak but the costs on those transfers look to be spiralling out of control. In fact the outstanding candidate to replace Nunez and Diaz shouldn’t cost anything - in transfer fees at least.

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Having spent five seasons at Lille, Jonathan David is out of contract at the end of this season. The 25-year-old Canadian is the No1 contender to arrive at the club for many reasons - although Liverpool will have to fight off plenty of suitors to secure his signature.

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This is one fight that’s worth getting involved in - and winning.

Jonathan David's wage demands

First off, let’s say that David and his entourage know his worth. It’s been reported that he’s seeking around £7.5 million per year from his next club - plus a £12.5m signing on fee - according to Sky Sports Switzerland.

That kind of salary would put him in the bracket of earners including Nunez and Federico Chiesa at Liverpool - around £140k per week.

Factor in agent commissions and the deal costs £28m before a ball is kicked. But compared to £100m for Joao Pedro for example, it’s still a bargain.

And Liverpool would be getting a reliable goalscorer for that spend. He’s scored 109 goals in 229 games since signing from Gent back in 2020. David has also added 29 assists.

But don’t let those goalscoring numbers fool you. He isn’t a poacher by any stretch of the imagination. David is an all-round forward anchoring Lille’s attacking play all across the opposition half.

He ranks in the 96th percentile among Ligue 1 forwards for chances created per FOTMOB, and in the 95th for touches. The Canada international is a tireless worker - something Arne Slot will appreciate after admonishing Nunez for dropping his workrate earlier in the season.

The Liverpool head coach admits he likes strikers who "work their ass off".

“Jonathan David is a striker who scores goals but he offers much more than that,” former Lille and Marseille midfielder Benoit Cheyrou tells Ligue 1’s YouTube channel.

“He’s the hardest-working forward in Ligue 1—running 20 kilometres more than his closest rival, [Emmanuel] Emegha. That’s the equivalent of playing two extra matches.

“He’s also the most involved in his team’s play, with nearly 700 touches of the ball. And he’s incredibly generous—pressing relentlessly as the first line of defence.”

While we don’t have the distance covered figures for the French top flight to hand, we can compare David to other strikers in the UEFA Champions League this season.

He has covered 10.29 kilometres per 90 in the Champions League this season - behind only Julian Alvarez (10.99km), Ferran Jutgla (11.39km) and Vangelis Pavlidis (11.47km).

In comparison, Kylian Mbappe has run an average of 7.51km per 90 in the Champions League this season and Serhou Guirassy 7.69km.

David is not just hunting goals; among Ligue 1 forwards he ranks in the 89th percentile for recoveries and - crucially for Liverpool - in the 91st percentile for possession won in the final third.

There aren’t many forwards out there with David’s skillset; that mix of ruthless finishing capability allied with a voracious capacity for off-the-ball work.

Liverpool’s recruitment staff will have their own checklist but it’s hard to see a better, more affordable option out there.

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“He’s not a classic number 9 who simply attacks the goal. He contributes to his team’s overall play,” surmises Cheyrou. “In short: a complete, generous, and highly effective striker. A real joy to play alongside!”

We’re not going to disagree.