Julen Lopetegui gave Jean-Clair Todibo his first Premier League start for West Ham United against Brentford on Saturday.
Jean-Clair Todibo joined West Ham from Nice in the summer on a season-long loan, and we have an obligation to sign the 24-year-old for around £35 million next year.
He was a hugely exciting addition for the Hammers, but Julen Lopetegui refused to throw him straight into the side, opting to use Konstantinos Mavropanos instead.
Things aren’t going great for West Ham right now, but if Todibo can find his form, and develop his relationship and understanding with Max Kilman, we will be a top eight team, I have no doubts about that.
The Frenchman must have something about him – the Hammers beat the likes of Juventus, Tottenham and Newcastle United to his signature after all.
Moving from Ligue 1 to England is never an easy switch to make, given the ferocious pace and intensity of Premier League football.
So giving Todibo time to adapt to the speed of the game in England will be crucial to him being a success in East London.
It’s worth remembering, the likes of Nemanja Vidic, Gabriel Magalhaes and Ruben Dias all struggled to adapt to the pace of Premier League football during their debut campaigns in England.
I’m sure that the 24-year-old defender will end up being a fantastic signing for the Hammers, and he showed glimpses yesterday of his true potential.
Jean-Clair Todibo sends Instagram post after West Ham draw
The former Nice mans seems to have finally forced his way into Lopetegui’s starting XI.
Despite the odd shaky moment during our draw with Brentford, I actually think Todibo played pretty well on the whole.
His quality in possession, pace and ability to step out of the back four with the ball at his feet should take us to a new level as a team.
Todibo proved during his time with Nice that he’s not lacking when it comes to physicality as well.
He was clearly delighted after making his first Premier League start for the Hammers against Brentford.
And he shared his delight on social media.
Todibo took to his official Instagram account on Saturday night after his first league start for the Hammers.
“First start in the Premier League today. We move.“
That will hopefully the first Premier League start of many for Todibo in a West Ham shirt.
Jean-Clair Todibo will come good for West Ham
There’s no denying that the 24-year-old is one of the very best central defenders in European football.
However, he has undoubtedly taken longer to settle into life at the London Stadium than was first expected.
After his first start in the league for West Ham, and his start on Wednesday night in the Carabao Cup, Todibo will be more accustomed to the English game than he was last week.
I fully expect him to grow and grow as a player with every week that passes.
On paper, Jean-Clair Todibo has absolutely everything needed to be a success with West Ham in the Premier League.
It will be really interesting to watch him develop as a player over the course of this season. He’ll be a star for us, mark my words.
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