WEST HAM UNITED HIJACK JUVENTUS DEAL, SIGN 24-YEAR-OLD CENTER BACK JEAN-CLAIR TODIBO FROM OGC NICE
Only 36 hours after multiple reports confirmed that West Ham United were trying to hijack Juventus’ deal to sign French international Jean-Clair Todibo from OGC Nice, the Hammers have landed their newest defensive addition. The team confirmed the signing on Saturday morning.
Todibo joins the Premier League giants on an initial season-long loan, with an option to make the transfer permanent in 2025, a statement from the club confirmed.
Per European journalist Fabrizio Romano, West Ham will pay Nice up to €40 million (£34.315 million) next summer after triggering the obligation to buy. The French Guiana-born defender will then sign on a long-term, five-year contract that will keep him in East London up to June 2030. The 6-foot-3 defender is expected to be tied to West Ham for the next six years.
One of the brightest young talents in Europe, Todibo is being considered as a possible key player for the French national team in the coming years.
“I am really excited to be signing for West Ham United,” said Todibo. “It is a dream come true to play in the Premier League, the best league in the world. This is an amazing opportunity for me, at a club with huge ambition, who want to really make progress under the new head coach.”
“It feels like the right time to be coming to West Ham, in the heart of London, with an amazing, passionate fan base. I’m so excited to pull on the West Ham shirt, and play at the London Stadium, in the Premier League.”
The Frenchman was expected to move to Italian giants Juventus this summer after the 36-time Serie A champions made multiple offers for the young defender last month. Juventus, however, failed to come to an agreement with OGC Nice which left room for West Ham to make a move for a player they rated highly and tried to acquire earlier in the transfer window.
Per Sky Sports Dharmesh Sheth, West Ham Sporting Director Tim Steidten travelled to Nice on Thursday after hearing the move could be a possibility as Juventus couldn’t strike a deal with the South of France-based club. Steidten held lengthy conversations with both OGC Nice and Todibo during the day and earlier the night before finally convincing him to join.
The young defensive talent then flew to London with Steidten on Friday and completed both parts of his medical in the morning and the afternoon, hours before the signing was made official on Saturday.
Todibo is West Ham’s seventh signing of the summer following the acquisitions of center back Maximilian Kilman from Wolverhampton Wanderers, 31-year-old striker Niclas Füllkrug, midfielder Guido Rodriguez, 22-year-old winger Crysencio Summerville, 18-year-old forward Luis Guilherme and veteran goalkeeper Wes Foderingham.
Steidten told West Ham media that he believes Todibo is perfectly equipped with the qualities necessary to adapt quickly to the Premier League and thrive under the guidance of new team Head Coach Julen Lopetegui.
“This is another significant signing for the football club and shows the attraction of West Ham for top players in Europe,” said Steidten. “It’s no secret that Jean-Clair is a player we’ve been tracking for some time, so we’re delighted to have got this signing over the line ahead of the start of the new season.”
“He’s got proven pedigree in European football, especially in France, where he has shone in recent years, showing all his qualities as one of the finest ball-playing center-halves in Ligue 1.”
“There was huge interest from across Europe for his signature this summer, and we’re once again indebted to the board for backing us to bring in a player who is approaching the peak years of his career. I’m sure West Ham fans are excited about Jean-Clair’s arrival, and we can’t wait to see him playing in a West Ham shirt.”
Todibo is set to take the place of long-term West Ham United defensive staple, Kurt Zouma, who’s imminent move to Dubai-based, Emirati professional football club Shabab Al Ahli has been reported by The Athletic this week.
Alongside their defensive additions this summer, West Ham are also expected to complete the acquisition of English right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United in the next few weeks. The move is considered imminent with United working on acquiring Moroccan fullback Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich as Wan-Bissaka’s replacement.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Pedro Semitiel. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.