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Everything you need to know about: Jean-Clair Todibo

It is no secret that Barca have been searching for a successor of Gerard Pique for a long time and it is important for Todibo to step up and fill in the big shoes of the Catalan defender.

AS
Last updated: 20.08.2019
Everything you need to know about Jean-Clair Todibo | Sports Social Blog

Barcelona signed Jean-Clair Todibo in the January Transfer window from Toulouse on a four-and-a-half-year deal. Initially, Todibo agreed to join the Catalan club in the summer when his contract expired Toulouse. But Barcelona feared that the French youngster would be left out of top tier exposure for 6 months after Les Pitchouns decided to exclude him from the first team when he refused to sign a new contract last year. So they signed him on the deadline day of the winter transfer window.

 

Todibo has now teamed up with fellow French centre-backs Umtiti and Lenglet and Gerard Pique, who will doubtless aid his integration into the team. If his meteoric rise continues, the Catalan giants have themselves a star for many years to come.

 

 

Who is Todibo?

 

Name - Jean-Clair Todibo

Age - 19

Nationality - France

Positions - Central Defender, Defensive Midfielder

 

Todibo was born in Cayenne, French Guiana and spent his youth career in FC Les Lilas. He joined Toulouse in 2016 from FC Les Lilas. He spent his first two seasons with Toulouse B and made 9 appearances in total. He was promoted to the first team in 2018 & made his Ligue 1 debut against rivals Bordeaux in a 2-1 win. He scored his primary first goal for Toulouse against Rennes in a 1–1 draw. He was called up by France U20 for a friendly game against Switzerland and made his international debut. Even though he played only 10 games for Les Pitchouns many top clubs like Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Barcelona were linked with him, but he opted for the Catalans.

 

After failing to sign De Ligt, Barcelona have decided that Todibo is ready to be a part of the first team and eventually replace Gerard Pique. 

 

STRENGTHS:

 

TACKLING:-

 

Todibo, a 6-foot-2 centre-back is excellent, and despite being a tall defender, it's one of his major strengths. He committed zero errors that led to a goal in Ligue 1. In the 10 games he played in Ligue 1, he managed 1.8 tackles won per game (85.7%), which is quite impressive for a young defender. He also averaged 1.4 interceptions per game & 6.2 clearances per game. 

He won 50% of total duels in the two La Liga games he played last season.

 

BALL PLAYER:-

 

Just like any young defender nowadays, Todibo is a ball playing centre back. He likes to dribble with the ball, and maybe that's what attracted Barcelona. He likes to play short passes from the back to help in build-up play. He managed a reasonable passing accuracy of 85% (35.8 per game). In the two La Liga games he played last season, he managed a passing accuracy of 92%.

 

VERSATILITY:-

 

Todibo has played as a defensive midfielder on multiple occasions, and he has performed well in the midfield. Though he never played as a DM for Toulouse' first-team but that doesn't rule him out as an option for a backup DM. 


 

WEAKNESSES:

 

DISCIPLINE:-

 

One of his major weakness is his discipline. He often takes cards for cheap fouls. He sometimes makes sloppy tackles but covers up by stepping up. In the 10 games he has played for the first team, he has 2 yellow cards and one red card. In the two official games he played at Barca, he was booked in both games. He's sometimes involved in hard tackling, but he has never broken anyone's leg. 

 

KEY LIGUE 1 STATS (only 10 games played):

 

Matches - 10

Minutes played - 836

Goals - 1

Passing accuracy - 85% (35.8 passes per game)

Interceptions per game - 1.4

Tackles won per game - 1.8 (85.7%)

Clearances per game - 6.2

Error led to goal - 0

Fouls per game - 1.3 

Was fouled per game - 0.5

Dispossessed per game - 0.5 

Yellow cards - 2

Red card - 1

 

What does the future hold for Todibo? 

 

Barcelona brought Todibo early as he wasn't getting playing time in Toulouse. To be very honest it's highly unlikely that he'll get enough playing time this season as Barcelona already have three centre-backs apart from him. He was brought early because he wasn't getting playing time in France.

 

Recent reports suggest that he has impressed Valverde in the pre-season & has gained his trust. Several clubs were interested in signing the Frenchman this summer. However, it is being reported that Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has offered the 19-year-old assurances over his playing time this season. As a result, Todibo is now ready to snub interest from Milan, Ajax, and Lille – in order to stay and fight for a spot with the Catalan giants. 

 

Touted as the next Varane, due to his pace and agility, it'll be interesting to see whether he really does prove the hype surrounding him.

 

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