Promise David wants to move from shadow to light at the Union: “It’s a profile with which you have to be patient”

Paralyzed in Bruges

A start to the season that Promise David, who calls himself ‘Tobi’ by his teammates, followed from the sidelines, even from the stand. Arriving at the beginning of July at the Union for around 400,000 euros, the Canadian of Nigerian origin showed his business during the pre-season preparation. His good weeks of training even allowed him to spend around twenty minutes on the pitch at Club Bruges during the Belgian Super Cup. A rise to the game which will upset him because the atmosphere at the Jan Breydel Stadion will have paralyzed him, according to his internal statements. Logical for a player used to playing in front of a few hundred spectators with his club Kalju FC, in Estonia. “Tobi suffered during preparation, but he showed good things, remembers his trainer, Sébastien Pocognoli. He scored against PAOK then against Sporting Lisbon and we could see glimpses of talent. But he still lacked the intensity that the Belgian championship demands.”

Not yet at the level, David played 45 minutes against Westerlo during which he opened his goal counter before being started against Slavia Prague. A high-stakes match that arrived much too early in the start of the season for the player who also played in the Croatian, American and Maltese championships. “We had to make him permanent because we needed him, explains Pocognoli. But it happened too quickly in his adaptation process. It was a period where we were looking for each other in terms of attackers because we did not have a clear hierarchy. He certainly should have been given more time to adapt to the intensity of training and Pro League matches. We may have thrown him into this transition to high-intensity football a little too quickly.”

A plan in place

At the end of August, the Unionist staff decided to take a step back in the player’s progress. Promise David is not part of the UEFA list for Europa League matches scheduled until the end of January 2025. On top of that, the striker often skips selections and only plays one minute in the whole month of September. “Each competitor wants to play but also knows that it is the coach who decides at the end of the day, the player advances in English that recalls his Canadian origins. If I’m not on the field, that means I have to work even harder. I don’t see the other strikers as competitors, they are my best friends in the team and the first ones I met at the club like Fuseini, Khalaili or Rodriguez. The idea is above all to find the right chemistry and real cohesion on the pitch.”

The one who is seen as a smiling player and always in a good mood in the locker room takes his troubles patiently and decides to plan additional sessions after training. Often, David finds a physical trainer from the club to work on his physical condition which is the central point of work if he wants to succeed in making the step between the Estonian championship and the Pro League. “We did an in-depth analysis of my strengths and weaknesses with the staff, comments Promise David. My greatest strength is my solidity: some referees say that I often make mistakes but that’s because I often go to the gym (smile). I am also capable of keeping the balls with my back to the goal and looking for spaces behind the defenders but I needed to improve my defensive transitions. In a team like the Union, you have to be able to repeat your efforts for 90 minutes. The staff has put a plan in place to improve this and I am starting to reap the benefits. Few Canadians have the chance to play at this level so I have to take advantage of it. I’m more excited than afraid.”

Having entered the game during the last two championship matches, he finally received a start from his coach who was smiling after his colt’s second goal. While waiting for another one perhaps this Saturday in Mechelen. “It makes me happy for my attackers, concludes Pocognoli. You don’t see them in the locker room but it’s sometimes more difficult to lose by putting quality into the game with a lot of chances rather than taking a real slap. Concerning Tobi, the plan put in place will take time. He still has his ups and downs in training, but that makes perfect sense. This is a profile with which you have to be patient. But if he continues his momentum by listening carefully to advice, he will quickly become important for the team.”