West Ham’s deal for [Jean Clair Todib](https://www.claretandhugh.info/admission-of-lack-of-fitness-and-poor-preparation-hammers-hit-and-miss-season/)o originated in August 2024 when Tim Steidten plucked him from the very jaws of Juventus and delivered him by private jet to West Ham’s table, so the folk lore goes. Lopetegui’s new right-sided centre back was brought in on a season -long loan with an obligation to make the move if Todibo played just a handful of games. Such was the deal negotiated last summer.
Former Premier League Manager Martin O”Neill on [talkSPORT](https://talksport.com/who/martin-oneill/) didn’t mix his words when it came to criticising both the player and the deal:
_They have a lad called Todibo playing in the middle; he was off at half-time. He’s cost £35 million, I think. He was on loan last year, and he wasn’t all that good, then you buy him for £35m._ _He’s got a lot to do. He hasn’t got a defensive thought in his head for a central defender.”_
Which is a brutal put down of the former OGC Nice defender. But it misses the point.
Todibo alone has not been good: _But the whole trio_ of Todibo, £40 million Maximilian Kilman and £30 million Nayef Aguerd (who didn’t even want to come back after a season-long loan and wear the West Ham shirt) are dreadful. No passion, no fire and no professional pride – second to the ball, _being out jumped or just plain absent._
That is a total of over £105 million on a centre back trio who have conceded eight goals in two games. So Martin O’Neill was wrong to single Todibo out.
In days of old, all three would have been heading for a spell in the reserves. I’m not convinced they have all become dreadful overnight but I suspect there is no buy-in to Potter’s failed tactics. That is the real issue which Martin O Neill misses.