Reports are coming out from all over the futbol world that Jean-Clair Todibo has agreed to personal terms with Catalan club FC Barcelona to sign for them on a free transfer in the summer window.
Many people will ask the question... "who is Jean-Clair Todibo?" Is he good enough for a club that holds household names such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, etc?
Others will say... "great another no-name player!" True. Over the last few years, Barcelona has signed lesser named players that seem to not have been off the regular caliber of players that are usually signed.
That doesn't mean Todibo will turn out to be that. So, who exactly is Jean-Clair Todibo?
Jean-Clair Todibo is a young French defender with all potential in the world. Sure, there's not exactly much to judge his overall skill on yet or how high his ceiling for improvement is. Having played only 10 professional games for Toulouse since deciding on personal terms with Barcelona, there is sure to be some skepticism by fans of the Spanish giants.
It's normal to question players with a not much of a professional background or with little to no hype surrounding that player.
One thing is certain though, in those 10 games that he has played, Todibo has certainly been impressive. Impressive enough for many European giants to try to sign him. He has a very solid physical presence & a splendid ability in the air. Reads tackles & is very mature for his age.
Oh yes, on top of him coming for free in the summer transfer window due to his contract expiring, let's consider his age. Todibo just turned 19 years of age back in December. Will he be an instant answer to any defensive issues? Probably not.
But as I mentioned earlier, the young defender has all the potential in the world. Especially learning from the likes of Spanish veteran Pique & most recent World Cup winner Samuel Umtiti.
He will certainly be an investment for the future.
Many fans will show signs of disappointment because of this probably means the club will pass up the signing of Matthijs de Ligt. Which, I will admit myself, disappointments me as well, but in the grand scheme of things... it does make sense.
Matthijs de Ligt & Frenkie de Jong are the pair of wonderkids, from Ajax, that everybody is talking about right now. They seem to have been on Barcelona's radar for quite a while now. They are exceptional talents & any club would be extremely lucky to acquire both of them. Only issue? Both are very expensive.
You would think the biggest clubs of the world can afford both, which they certainly can, but with Luis Suarez slowing down a bit, Barcelona is also in the market for a true number 9 that can replace the boots of Suarez in the next few coming seasons. That won't be cheap either.
So the signing of Todibo does make sense. Give the guy a chance & don't write him off before we've seen his ability. Maybe we have bowed out of signing de Ligt & decided to go all in for de Jong instead. Or maybe Barcelona does have a trick up it's sleeve.
All I know is.. I am extremely excited to see what the new young, French signing has to offer.