West Ham United signed Jean-Clair Todibo on loan from Nice in the summer of 2024.
Jean-Clair Todibo arrived at the London Stadium with a huge reputation as one of the best central defenders on the continent, but he made a really slow start to life with West Ham.
The Hammers have an obligation to buy the Frenchman for around £26 million plus add-ons in the summer.
And West Ham centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo is really excelling now since Graham Potter got the Hammers job.
Since Potter took over, the Hammers head coach has been greatly impressed by Todibo.
Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
The West Ham fans are definitely starting to see the best of the former Barcelona man now.
But does his future actually lie in East London?
Jean-Clair Todibo heavily linked with early West Ham exit
The former Nice defender seemed all set to join Juventus in the summer.
However, Tim Steidten flew the jet over to France as the Turin giants closed in on the centre-back, and hijacked the deal for him.
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One report claimed that the centre-back was forced into joining West Ham from Nice.
And it has been suggested that Todibo is regretting joining West Ham from Nice back in the summer.
His performances under Julen Lopetegui certainly lent credence to that notion.
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
However, as mentioned earlier, we are now seeing a completely different player to the one who joined us seven months ago.
Now Todibo himself has opened up on his feelings about being part of the West Ham family.
Jean-Clair Todibo finally breaks his silence
Todibo clearly struggled under Lopetegui, but he seems to have found a new lease of life with Potter at the helm.
The 25-year-old has opened up on how he’s feeling at West Ham right now, as quoted by WHUFC.com:
“The project that was presented by the Club was a very exciting one that I wanted to be a part of. The Club showed a lot of love towards me, which was important as well.”
“I managed to settle in a short space of time, and I am very grateful for that.”
That doesn’t sound like a man who wants to leave West Ham does it? In fact, he sounds extremely happy to be at the London Stadium.
Jean-Clair Todibo is one of the very best centre-backs in Europe when he’s on form, and he’s crucial to West Ham’s hopes of making some real progress over the next few years.
His ability with the ball at his feet, his cool and composed nature in possession and his incredibly impressive recovery pace makes him absolutely perfect for Potters system.
Hopefully Todibo will remains with the Hammers for many more years still to come, and help us achieve huge success.