Such was the confusion of the latter stages of Julen Lopetegui’s era that observers started to doubt much of the content of his oft-unintelligible press conferences. The very real fall-outs between the former coach and his players – notably Mohammed Kudus, mild mannered Alphonse Areola and Jean Clair Todibo were sometimes masked by false claims of injury when players had just been left behind on the ‘naughty boy’ step.
Todibo was a case in point: He spent time banished to the u21s’ training sessions and was left behind on one match day, anecdotally after falling out with Lopetegui and having to be separated from a scuffle with his coach by club captain Bowen.
So the ‘little injuries’ which Lopetegui often cited turned out to be ‘political ones’ – sometimes.
Fast forward just one month and the difference around London Stadium is enormous. Players are integrated back into the main squad, even those with long-term injuries attending matches to support their team mates.
Jean-Clair Todibo’s ‘unspecified’ calf / lower limb still injury puzzled me : It did make me wonder (cynic that I am) if there was more to it.
Todibo’s loan agreement specified an obligation to buy, we were told in August, after a set number of Premier League appearances ‘triggered’ the mandatory purchase. However, that exact clause was never made public.
Were West Ham keeping him away from starting Premier League games on a pretext, in order to undershoot the number of appearances required to activate his ‘buy clause’ in the loan agreement with parent club Nice, so as to be able to return him at the end of the season?
Claret and Hugh’s high ranking source inside the club did lay that suggestion to rest – “we are committed to buying Todibo” was the exact comment made when discussing FFP, cash flow and player deals. So, no conspiracy there. I hang my cynical head in shame.
Jean-Clair Todibo will become a West Ham player at the end of the season. Now you know.
