I don’t want to go back to Barca, Todibo admits

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 2 min read

Barcelona defender Jean-Clair Todibo has admitted that he does not want to return to the club following his loan spell at Nice.

Todibo only made the move to the Ligue 1 side shortly before the transfer deadline, but he says he hopes Nice can take advantage of the purchase clause in the deal.

Todibo was starved for game time at Barcelona and now hopes he can find some solidarity in his young career.

“I want to be here in the long term,” Todibo said. “I hope that my performances push the club to exercise the buyout option. There is a lot of work to do here, although our position in the league does not reflect our quality.”

He may not want to return to Barcelona, but the young centre-back says that he has no regrets in leaving Toulouse – then a Ligue 1 side – to move to Camp Nou.

“Barcelona remains a great experience,” he said. “I learned a lot from Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet. It did me good. I discovered a very, very high level.

“I didn’t breakthrough because there were great players ahead of me. I also had a coach, Ernesto Valverde, who was under pressure from the supporters, so it was normal that he played Pique rather than a 19-year-old with no experience.”

‘I lacked humility’ – Todibo

This is not Todibo’s first experience of a temporary move away from Barcelona. He spent the second half of last term at Schalke and the first half of 2020/21 with Benfica. Neither move worked out, although he accepts some responsibility for that.

I learned a lot from a human point of view at Schalke, they gave me everything I needed,” he said. “I had playing time but we were cut off by the pandemic and on my return, I lacked humility. I relaxed and I lacked respect to all the people who trusted me within the club. So I learned a lot.

“My three experiences in Barcelona, Schalke and Benfica have made me a new man.”

Todibo, who made five appearances for Barcelona, debuted for Nice in midweek as they lost 2-1 to Monaco.