da bet esporte： West Ham United are eyeing a summer swoop for Jean-Clair Todibo.
What’s the latest on Jean-Clair Todibo to West Ham?
da doce： According to French outlet Nice-Matin, the Irons have made an approach to sign the Nice titan, who could cost around €40m (£34m).
Despite still just being 23-years-old, Todibo has enjoyed stints across the continent at Toulouse, Barcelona, Benfica, and Schalke.
However, since joining Nice in 2021, the 6 foot 3 defender has been far more settled and has gone on to make over 100 appearances for the French outfit.
Would Jean-Clair Todibo be a good signing for West Ham?
Last season, in 33 Ligue 1 starts, the player averaged 2.2 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game (fourth-highest in the squad), as well as 3.1 clearances and 0.6 blocks per game (second-highest).
His game is built upon defensive solidity and his quality has been recognised even in the infancy of his career – back in 2020, German legend Lothar Matthaus described Todibo as the “best centre-back” he’s seen in a “long time.”
This sentiment was echoed by his former teammate Aaron Ramsey, who added:
“Jean-Clair is a very interesting character; he’s very confident and he’s a great guy around the dressing room and he’s a very, very talented player, who can go all the way to the top.
“For him, it is important to keep his feet on the ground, strive for more, and take in as much information as possible.
“He’s a great guy, a great player, and very ambitious, so there is no reason that he can’t go all the way to the top and represent France.”
From a West Ham perspective, adding a man of this calibre and reputation would be a monumental boost. Furthermore, Todibo can also be a noticeable upgrade on Kurt Zouma.
Defensively, the former Barcelona starlet outranks his elder for tackles per 90 (2.28 vs 0.41) and blocks per 90 (1.29 vs 0.77), while Zouma very narrowly outperforms Todibo for interceptions (1.36 vs 1.29).
However, what separates these two players is their ball-playing ability. Todibo is vastly superior to the former Chelsea youngster for pass completion per 90 (88.5% vs 84.4%), progressive passes per 90 (4.8 vs 1.4), and successful take-ons per 90 (0.63 vs 0.09).
Although it is easier for the £20k-per-week man to score better than Zouma, as in domestic matches he averages over 30 more touches (76.2 vs 42.5), Todibo still ranks tremendously across the continent, sitting within the best 20% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for the aforementioned metrics.
Zouma is perhaps a victim of David Moyes’ lack of possession-based style of play, but Todibo’s pedigree is undeniable and looks like he could be a formidable asset in the Premier League.
Moreover, despite only signing for the East Londoners in 2021, the 6 foot 3 mountain has already missed 23 games through injury. With the club set to play a third-consecutive season of European football, they cannot afford to lose Zouma for another prolonged period, whilst Todibo is yet to miss any games for Nice due to injury.
This signing would be an inspired way for the 2023 Europa Conference League winners to kickstart their window.