Jonathan David revealed that he turned down a move to the Premier League in favor of Lille due to concerns about playing time in the English top flight.
The 20-year-old made a name for himself with Belgian side Gent, scoring 18 goals in 27 Pro League appearances last season.
The striker – who has already scored 11 goals in his first 12 international matches for Canada – has been chased by a number of top European clubs.
However, Lille swooped in and signed the youngster for € 31.5m, becoming their signing record over Victor Osimhen who recently passed away.
David admitted that the thinking behind his decision was based on where he could earn more playing time and Ligue 1 offered him more growth potential than the Premier League.
“Everyone knows that the Premier League is a high quality league,” he said Northern France.
‘But my choice was dictated by the fact that, above all, I wanted to be sure of playing.
‘My choice was made quite early. But I understand it took some time to finalize between the two clubs.
Gent wanted to keep me another season, but I made my choice and they respected it.
‘I always knew it would be done, even if it would take a while. I really liked the sports project that Luis Campos [Lille’s sporting director] and the club management sold to me.
‘This is what really encouraged me to join Lille. In fact, I especially wanted to join a club where I know I will continue to play and improve.
“There is a very good team here with excellent players.”
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