- Crystal Palace held interest in Jonathan David
- Canada striker struggled in World Cup opener
- Juventus are prepared to sell
Crystal Palace will surely have been put off making a move for Jonathan David after watching the Canadian striker struggle in the World Cup. The Juventus frontman is expected to be on the move this summer amid a frustrating spell in Turin.
Reports claim that Palace and Aston Villa are eyeing David and could enter discussions with Juve over a potential loan with an option to buy. The Old Lady only signed the 26-year-old last summer as a free agent.
David left Ligue 1 club Lille and had been in high demand due to his availability. The Italian giants won the race for his signature, but he has disappointed at the Allianz Stadium.
Dissapointing David
David is Canada’s talisman and led the line in their opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday night. He put in a poor display, spurning three goalscoring opportunities.
One of those came early on in the first half when he arrived in the box and should have put the World Cup co-hosts 1-0 up. But his tame shot was easily collected by Bosnian goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj.
Canada manager Jesse Marsch furiously reacted on the touchline and the miss came back to haunt David. Bosnia took the lead through Jovo Lukic but second-half substitute Cyle Larin came to the rescue.
“Not good enough” – Troy Deeney on David
David came off in the 61st minute and did nothing to convince Palace fans that he’d be a good signing. He certainly didn’t impress former Premier League striker Troy Deeney, who gave a grim verdict on CBS Sports Golazo.
Deeney said, “I thought he was poor,” and felt he didn’t make the most of the opportunity to shine on home soil on the biggest stage. He questioned his mentality and the concerning statistics, including 0.37 expected goals.
David has been Canada’s main man for several years and sits second in their goalscoring rankings. He’s found the back of the net in 39 of 78 international caps.
For Palace, it will perhaps raise alarm bells about swooping for a striker still yet to truly live up to expectations. They might consider looking elsewhere if they intend to sign a new number nine.
