Jonathan David was Juventus’ first official signing of the summer, a chase that reportedly started a year or so ago under a previous front office but with the same goal in mind.
Get him to Turin.
The 25-year-old Canadian has been training with his new Juventus teammates for about a week now, with Wednesday being the day that he was officially in front of the Italian press for the first time since his move as a free agent from Ligue 1 side Lille. David, who is already Canada’s all-time leading scorer
despite his relatively young age, made sure to emphasize just how things have gone so far and how he is adjusting to life at Juventus after spending the previous five years with Lille.
On joining the Bianconeri after such a long negotiation in which he was well aware of the fact he was not going to extend his contract with Lille, David said:
“It’s a great feeling to be part of a team like Juventus. The first week went very well and my teammates helped me a lot. Speaking with the management was important for me. I also talked to my teammates and there was mutual interest in joining Juventus.”
(All quotes via Football Italia)
David arrives at Juventus after scoring 87 goals in Ligue 1 in 187 appearances domestically. In what proved to be his final season in France, David recorded 23 goals and 10 assists in all competitions, with seven of those goals coming in the Champions League. (One, of course, came against Juventus in the new-look UCL league phase in which the two sides played to a 1-1 draw in France last November.)
“I’ve tried to be consistent over the past few years. I know Serie A is different, more tactical and defensive, but there are challenges for everyone. I think it’s possible. I just have to work hard. Why not?”
So what number will David wear during his first season at Juventus?
“I’ve picked the number 30, which is important to me because it’s my father’s birthday,”
[...]
“I started playing football because my father used to play football, so it was the first thing. Everyone plays football in Haiti. There were other sports in Canada, but that’s how I started, and I wanted to become a pro. Every league has its own challenges. Juventus are the club I wanted, so I came to Serie A.”
Considering the natural transition away from Dusan Vlahovic this summer, David was expected to be the young man who took over the No. 9 shirt at Juventus. The relative lack of hyping up what his number could be only added to that kind of anticipation, but
A pair of South Americans, Matias Soulé and Rodrigo Bentancur, were the last Juve players to wear the No. 30 shirt.
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Photo by Daniele Badolato - Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty ImagesWhen it comes to expectations, David said that he enters every season with an optimistic view. As he joins a squad that finished a disappointing fourth place in Serie A last season and dismissed their now-former manager Thiago Motta after just 10 months in charge, David will be looked at as a player who will try and turn things for the better in Turin.
“I think every season can be a good one. Surely the league is difficult, but you need the ambition to go all the way.”
[...]
“I chose this club because it has great ambition, and I have great ambition too, so I want to work hard for the team and become one of the best scorers in the world.”
Where has David fit into Igor Tudor’s setup so far in training?
“We are working on tactics, it will depend on the coach, but right now I’m playing as a center forward. There’s never a guarantee to be a starter, so you’ve got to play and do your job. I don’t expect to start every game, but I’ll do my best.
“I’m very competitive and, like all strikers, I love scoring goals; that’s what this game is about.”
Considering who David said was a childhood inspiration of his, that’s not a surprise.
“I had many role models as a kid. Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o. They were very different from each other, but I liked their style. There are many other good strikers now. I believe in God, and I think that to become a pro, you need commitment and faith.”
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