Jean-Clair Todibo will prove to be an exceptional signing for West Ham United, make no mistake about that.
West Ham signed Jean-Clair Todibo from Nice on a loan deal in the summer – one that will be made permanent in 2025 – after Tim Steidten flew out to France to hijack Juventus’s move to bring him to Italy.
However, the 24-year-old actually made a fairly slow start to life at the London Stadium, and some Italian newspapers have actually trolled the Hammers recently, by suggesting Juve had a lucky escape by not signing him.
I personally think those cheap shots will be made to look rather silly in time.
Todibo is a sensational young defender, but he wasn’t anywhere near fit enough when he joined us in the summer, it’s as simple as that.
Over the past few weeks, the former Barcelona man has firmly established himself as a key player for Julen Lopetegui.
And I expect him to go from strength to strength over the coming weeks and months.
West Ham fans will be buzzing after Jean-Clair Todibo statement
The France international seemed to be well off the pace when he first joined the Hammers.
That’s understandable though – he hadn’t been given a proper pre-season and most players struggle when they move from Ligue 1 to the Premier League.
I never doubted Todibo though – he has shown over the past couple of years that he is one of the very best central defenders on the continent.
Now it’s time for him to prove how good he is for the Hammers.
The centre-back has been speaking to WHUFC.com, and admitted that he’s still working very hard to get up to his very best level.
“I’ve been working very hard to get myself up to speed, and if I’m honest, I’m not even 80 per cent as of yet“, Todibo explained. I am continuing to work hard on my programme and have been since I arrived here because I didn’t have any pre-season, and it’s hard for football players who miss pre-season. Pre-season is the most important part of a season for a football player because it allows you to be ready to perform throughout the season, so I’m trying to progress all the time.“
“I’m a player who is very objective and understands when I can and can’t do something. At the beginning with my physical condition, it was impossible for me to help the team, so it was understandable for me to be on the bench, and it takes time for me to get fit. Even today, I’m not as fit as I want to be, so I believe the best of Jean-Clair Todibo is still to come.”
Extremely exciting Todibo statement has me buzzing
So if Todibo really isn’t even at 80% of his best right now, it’s quite clear to see that we have a very special player on our hands.
My only concern is that he’s being parked at the London Stadium for a year, before being sold on to a Champions League club in 2025 for a huge profit.
Let’s hope that doesn’t happen though, and we get to enjoy Jean-Clair Todibo at West Ham for many more years to come.
The Frenchman has all of the basic ingredients needed to go on and become one of the very best central defenders in world football.
Lopetegui has to stick with the former Nice man as his number one choice to partner Max Kilman in the heart of our defence for the rest of the season now.
Todibo will get better and better the fitter he gets with every week that passes.
West Ham could still be in for a special season, especially with the likes of the 6ft 3in French defender amongst our ranks.
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