Why Man Utd signing Todibo would be a COUP for Ten Hag
Sam McGuire
- Updated: 12 Aug 2023 13:21 BST
- 6 min read
Manchester United have addressed all areas of their team this summer apart from the defence.
Andre Onana replaced David De Gea between the sticks and looks to be a much better fit the Erik Ten Hag’s style. Mason Mount, United’s new No7, arrived from Chelsea having been courted by Arsenal and Liverpool while the Red Devils were finally able to strike a deal with Serie A side Atalanta for highly-rated forward Rasmus Hojlund.
According to reports, the Carabao Cup winners are eager to address their defence. With former captain Harry Maguire set to move to West Ham, United want to finally make a move for Nice centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo. That would be quite the coup.
The 23-year-old has had an interesting career to date.
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Finding a home at Nice
Viewed as a potential generational talent while at Toulouse, Barcelona made a move to sign the then-teenager. However, his time at Camp Nou wasn’t a successful one and this was through no fault of his own.
He had a brief loan spell with Schalke in the Bundesliga before being loaned to Benfica. The latter move didn’t go to plan and was cut short in favour of a return to his homeland with Nice. Todibo signed permanently in the summer of 2021 for a fee believed to be in the region of just €8 million.
Since the switch, he’s been a mainstay in the defence for the Ligue 1 side. He made 36 appearances in the league during the 2021/22 campaign and 34 last term. Availability is often an underrated trait when analysing players. The France Under-21 international hasn’t missed a game through injury since 2020.
His form for Nice was good enough to warrant a call-up to the senior national squad in March of this year, though he didn’t get to make his debut for Les Bleus. It does, however, feel like a matter of when and not if he turns out for the beaten World Cup finalists. They’re stacked in that department of the pitch too so the fact he’s part of the conversation highlights his talent.
READ: Nice boss CONFIRMS Man Utd talks with star player
Hybrid talent
He shares playing similarities with Lisandro Martinez, as well as Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate. Anyone lucky enough to sign a hybrid of those two is getting themselves a serious talent.
Todibo is very much in the mould of a modern-day centre-back. He’s comfortable in possession, he can pick out passes and he’s aggressive in his play. The 23-year-old carries the ball forward and beats opponents, opening up new passing angles and creating space for teammates. He averages close to 70 passes per 90 and has a success rate of 88%.
Despite having four years left on his deal, reports in France seem to suggest he could be available for €30m. This is in line with our top-end Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €30.2m. If Maguire sells for the rumoured fee, he covers the cost of the Todibo transfer. This would be an incredible piece of business.
He’s played as a left-sided centre-back as well as a right-sided centre-back. Given the Red Devils have Martinez for the left side, it makes a lot of sense to bring in Todibo for the right side.
Raphael Varane has injury issues and having someone of his skillset and quality as back-up means United are stronger as a team. He could eventually succeed his compatriot. This would be quite fitting given Todibo named the former Real Madrid man as one of his inspirations.
"I am inspired by Thiago Silva and Virgil Van Dijk, they are the ones I watch the most. I was also inspired by Varane. I've been inspired a lot by Andrea Pirlo in central midfield.”
Modelling your game on Silva, Van Dijk, Varane and Pirlo isn’t a bad thing at all, is it? This quote really does encapsulate Todibo as a player though.
Ten Hag must sign him
Speaking in a recent press conference, Dante heaped praise on his teammate and gave some insight into what he’s like as an individual.
“Of course, we would like Todibo to stay. But it can be complicated. We have to wait to see who will want to buy him and if everyone finds himself there. He is a leader, a very strong player mentally, he has improved a lot and he is ready to reach the very top level."
United have invested heavily this summer and though Todibo would be their cheapest signing, he might be their most important addition.
