Why Promise David Could Suit Everton
A tall, mobile centre-forward at Union SG is being put forward as the kind of striker Everton lack, with pressing, aerial presence and hold-up play seen as a strong fit.
We all want to see a change up top, and for me it is worth having a proper look at Promise David from Union SG.
He won them the league last year for the first time in 90 years, so will be playing Champions League football, but I am sure he would be tempted by a move to the Premier League.
A striker profile that feels made for us
The lad would suit us down to the ground. He would be a striker that would suit Moyes, for hopefully his last season with us, but would have the scope to improve and flourish with a more attack-minded manager.
He is a 6ft 5, 24-year-old centre forward who, given his size, can move around quite well and has a bit of pace about him.
What he gives you on the pitch
He is a handful for defenders and adept at pinning his man, rolling him and running in behind, or laying it off to his teammates. He is a colossus in the air and, if he could replicate his style of play in the Premier League, he would have any of the likes of Gabriel, Saliba and VVD in for a hard 90 minutes.
He is relentless in his pressing and is very physical when engaging defenders, often bullying them off the ball. He has long levers to utilise to shield the ball and get in front of his man, and he looks tailor-made for handling the Premier League.
Development path and end product
He has had a pretty unconventional route through to the Champions League by starting off in the Croatian, Maltese and Estonian leagues. This was perhaps where he learned to harness his physical ability and competitive aggression. He has adapted quickly to Belgian football and carried his goal-scoring form into the Europa League with 1 in 2 and 2 in 8 in the Champions League.
He has been at Union for two seasons and won the Belgian Pro League and Belgian Super Cup. He has managed 40 goals in 69 games for them and has 100 goals in 162 games at club level.
More than a target man
The combination of his size, athleticism and work rate are impressive, but it would be wrong to label him as simply a target man. He presses with desire, occupies centre-backs intelligently and consistently attacks dangerous spaces in the penalty area.
His aerial ability makes him a major threat from crosses and set pieces, while his finishing inside the box is composed and efficient. He does not seem rushed and rarely snatches at his chances like our lads do, often slotting balls in the corners or intelligently between the keeper's legs.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about his play is his passing range. From looking at him, you would expect a clumsy brute, but the lad can actually play. He has the attributes to occupy defenders and can play as a lone striker comfortably.
If Moyes goes back to favouring utilising the flanks like in his first tenure with Baines, Seamus and Pienaar, he could be a real threat.
I appreciate this is the Belgian league, but this lad has all the makings of a great signing.
He is on a long contract until 2029 with his club but is reportedly on no more than 10k a week. His current market value sits at around £15m. I think we could offer 20/25m and he would be ours. His previous club before USG, Nomme Kalju, included a 15% of any future transfer fee.
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