Promise David has his big move. The Canadian forward, who has battered Belgian Pro League defenders for the past two seasons, has joined Brighton in the Premier League. For those aware of the link between the two sides, this may comes as no real surprise. Yet, transfers from Union St Gilloise to Brighton are rare, and when they do happen, the Premier League side often have to pay market value. Despite Tony Bloom being the owner of Brighton and a minority shareholder in Union St Gilloise, there are no favours on offer when it comes to the valuation of key players. Should David hit the milestones that are part of the loan deal, Union will be receiving a record fee for a player.

David now makes the same move that Deniz Undav made a few seasons ago. The German, who had a fantastic World Cup, joined Brighton in 2022 following an impressive 37 goals in 56 games for Union. However, Undav struggled to cement his place in the Brighton side, scoring eight goals in 30 games and being loaned out to Stuttgart the following season. Since then, Undav has found himself a home in the Bundesliga, scoring over 50 goals for Stuttgart and earning a spot in the German national team. Undav is the clearest sign that sometimes, a player just needs to find the right environment.

Now, David is clearly a different striker to Undav. He is tall and physical and that offers something completely different in the Premier League. What is more, David is extremely confident as a forward. He believes he is going to score every time he is on the pitch, and for Union, those watching believed that would be the case as well. His 41 goals in 82 games is quite incredible, given that he was plucked by Alex Muzio’s side from the Estonian top flight just a few years ago.

Unlike Undav, David also goes into his time at Brighton with experience beyond just the Pro League. Last season, David got to play in the Champions League and did not look out of place. The Canadian forward scored two goals in the Champions League, with 15 goals overall last season despite injuries. That harmed his chances of starting at the World Cup for Canada, although he was still a handful when coming off the bench. So far this season he already has two goals in four games.

Belgian Pro League strikers have struggled to make the switch to the Premier League. Paul Onuachu and Tolu Arokodare have both scored goals for fun in Belgium and then struggled in England. Yet, David isn’t joining a struggling side like Southampton or Wolves. He is joining a Brighton machine that is well versed in replacing key players and putting new players in positions to flourish. It is a great environment for David to go into. The loan offers some form of security for Brighton, should David suffer similar injuries. But hopefully those are now behind him, and the imposing Canadian forward can take the next step in what has been a remarkable rise.