In a recent print edition, Mundo Deportivo revealed that Wolverhampton Wanderers have received a positive update in pursuit of Barcelona defender Jean-Clair Todibo as the Catalans are prepared to ship him out of the Nou Camp this summer. The West Midlands club could face stiff competition from Leicester City, Everton, Southampton, Watford, Bayer Leverkusen, AC Milan and AS Monaco in the race to acquire the French centre-back’s services during this summer transfer period (transcripted and translated by Sport Witness).
Todibo’s Eye-Catching Loan Spell In German Football Recently
The 20-year-old impressed a lot of people with his performances while on loan with Schalke in the second half of the 2019-20 campaign. Todibo managed to find a run of consistency under David Wagner’s tutelage, featuring in ten matches for the German outfit last season while picking up two yellow cards in the process across all fronts.
The Cayenne-born defensive ace made a good impression while on loan at Gelsenkirchen after averaging 1.9 tackles, 1.9 interceptions, 2.6 clearances and 1.4 dribbles per game in the Bundesliga. Todibo also made 84.6% of his attempted passes in the German top-flight which showcases just how well he can distribute the ball out from the back (stats via whoscored).
Todibo needs to ensure regular game time in this new campaign if he wants to continue making progress towards bettering himself in the coming years. The five-time French international would get an ideal platform to justify his worth at the Molineux Stadium if Nuno Espirito Santo can convince him to join Wolves this summer.
What Will The French Prospect Add To Nuno Espirito Santo’s Team?
Todibo has the tenacity and the hunger to win possession back for his team and is not afraid to clear his lines when being outnumbered by the opposition inside his half. Standing at 1.90, the Frenchman boasts remarkable strength to get the better of the opponent in the air but is still relatively inexperienced to feature at the top level every week.
The Barca youngster has shown enough resilience during his loan spell at Gelsenkirchen to warrant a switch to a top-flight club this summer either on loan or permanently. Wolves could provide him with an ideal environment to reach for the stars as Nuno Espirito Santo has mostly preferred to play with three defenders at the back during his time as the Midlands club’s manager.
Hence, Todibo will have more chances to shine as part of their first-team set-up but would have to battle it out with Willy Boly, Conor Coady, Romain Saiss and Max Kilman in the race to earn a regular starting berth in Wolves’ senior team.
Todibo will improve Wolves’ defensive options significantly and could even help them compete for some trophies in the coming seasons. However, Nuno Espirito Santo doesn’t have the lure of European football like some of the other clubs that are interested in recruiting the French starlet. Thus the player might be tempted to seal a move elsewhere in search of more Champions League or Europa League experience which might be detrimental to Wolves’ chances of signing him before the transfer deadline next month.
