Why Lazio Should Be Monitoring Jonathan David

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The Laziali

·28 December 2025

Why Lazio Should Be Monitoring Jonathan David

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and nobody knows that better than Lazio. From Nuno Tavares to Luis Alberto, from Matias Vecino to Mario Gila, we’ve seen quite a few players going from struggling for minutes at the biggest teams on the globe to excelling for the Biancocelesti.

Both Nicolò Rovella and Luca Pellegrini have become indispensable figures since trading Juventus for Lazio, and the latest player to make that transition could very well be Jonathan David.

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From Ottawa to the European Stage

Born in New York City to Haitian parents, David moved to Port-au-Prince, Haiti when he was three months old before heading to Ottawa in 2006 and polishing his footballing skills in the Canadian capital until turning 18 on January 14, 2018 and packing his bags for Belgian side Gent.

He would have to wait seven months before making his professional debut, but it didn’t take him long to make his presence felt in the Belgian top-flight, racking up 37 goals and 15 assists in 83 appearances and finishing as the joint Golden Boot winner in 2019/20, earning a €30 million transfer to Ligue 1 side Lille.

Triumph in France & Jump to Juventus

After a slow start to life in France, David turned things around and proved vital in attack as Les Dogues edged Paris Saint-Germain to the 2021 Ligue 1 title.

He solidified his status as one of the greatest players in Lille history before departing as the third-all-time leading scorer in Lille history with 109 goals and 30 assists in 232 appearances, earning praise from the likes of Ray Hudson and Thomas Grønnemark.

David traded Ligue 1 for Serie A after joining Juventus on a free transfer, scoring their first goal of the 2025/26 Serie A season vs. Parma, before assisting Vasilije Adžić’s injury-time winner to secure a come-from-behind 4-3 win against Inter in his return from the September international break.

The Turin Slump & Mounting Pressure

Since that show-stopping win against the Nerazzurri on September 13, David has played in 24 matches for club and country, but only three of those have featured a goal contribution, with David scoring in Juve’s last two UEFA Champions League matches vs. Bodø/Glimt and Pafos.

As far as Italian opponents go, it’s been slim picking; even with Dusan Vlahovic out with a long-term injury, David has been unable to take advantage and cement his status as Juve’s next top #9. And after a dismal starting display at Bologna, which saw Juve score the sole goal of the match immediately after David’s substitution, the Canadian was relegated to the bench and watched as Loïs Openda started in his place and delivered the winning goal against Roma.

A Decisive Summer on the Horizon

Whilst it’s unlikely that David would seek a January transfer, he may very well have to consider his options going into the summer of 2026 if he fails to beat out Openda for the starting spot.

So far, he has done nothing to convince Juve that he is the right option to succeed Vlahovic in attack when the Serbian departs on a free transfer this summer – unless he produces a similar turnaround to what we saw in his debut Ligue 1 season, then Juve may be inclined to start looking for a new striker in the upcoming summer window.

Both Juve and Canada fans will be hoping that’s not the case, with David looking to get back to top form ahead of what will be the most consequential tournament of his career: the FIFA World Cup on home soil. Having already scored 37 goals and 20 assists in 73 appearances, David will be looking to do something that he failed to do in three attempts in Qatar: score in the biggest tournament in sports.

Intelligence Over Athleticism

MLS veteran Brian Dunseth discussed the situation surrounding David:

We’ve all been heavily aware of what Jonathan David has been doing in European football for a while now, and Canada manager Jesse Marsch is extremely fortunate to have so much quality between him and Tani Oluwaseyi. I remember so much pressure being placed on Cyle Larin’s shoulders, and then David popped up. He’s like what Folarin Balogun is for the USMNT – people in Canada look at David’s consistency of his ability to be in the right place at the right time, especially in big matches. Everyone talks about his player profile like athleticism, speed, strength, but I look at his intelligence. I just think he’s so smart with the way that he plays, with the way that he runs the line, how he’s able exploit these massive defenders and tactically smart defensive shapes, how he continuously finds these seams and these moments where he’s getting on the end of balls. Obviously, anytime that you’re a goal scorer who joins Juventus, you’re going to deal with an insane amount of pressure. The hope is for Marsch is that David will be finding more consistency in front of the net, fully fit, healthy, sharp, not carrying any niggles, and is ready to lead the line for Canada for the FIFA World Cup.

Lazio’s Missing Piece?

If David does decide to depart Piedmont, then Lazio would be wise to consider bringing him in. Whilst Maurizio Sarri’s side find themselves within touching distance of the top six, they sit outside by a few points despite a stingy backline that has conceded just 12 goals in league play, only behind Roma (10).

It’s evident that Lazio’s attacking potency is their Achilles heel, with the club scoring just 18 goals in 17 matches – in fact, you’d have to go all the way back to November 23 for the last time that Lazio scored over one goal in a single match.

Lazio have struggled to find a worthy successor to Ciro Immobile’s throne since the Italian’s departure in 2024, but in Jonathan David, they would have a player who has already shown that he can deliver and compete alongside the best in world football.

The Road Ahead

For now, Canada’s all-time leading goal scorer will be attempting to bounce back to his top form in Turin and challenge for a spot in Luciano Spalletti’s attacking rotation. But as long as Boulaye Dia and Taty Castellanos continue to struggle up front for Lazio, and as long as the Canadian striker continues to underwhelm at Juve, then Jonathan David going to Lazio might just be an increasingly realistic possibility in 2026.