Formed by Hammers supporters Jack Elderton and Callum Goodall to offer their fellow fans in-depth but accessible analysis of their team and its players, Analytics United provide content for the Club's official website, app, Official Programme and social media channels.
For their latest column, Analytics United use performance analysis and data to examine the contribution Jean-Clair Todibo could make to West Ham United...
West Ham United have confirmed the signing of Jean-Clair Todibo on loan with an option to buy in a deal that represents a major coup for the club. The 24-year-old defender has long been thought of as one of the best young centre-backs in Europe and was closely linked to Italian giants Juventus throughout this transfer window. Beating such illustrious competition to the Frenchman’s signature shows just how clear the belief is, in E20 and beyond, that West Ham are ready to push on and compete near the top.
After starting his senior career with Toulouse at the age of 18, replacing former Hammer Issa Diop in Les Violets’ team when he swapped Occitane for east London back in 2018, Todibo impressed so much that Barcelona were quick to move. The Catalan club, known around the world for developing young talent into greats, snapped him up that January and Todibo went on to start twice in the second half of the 2018/19 La Liga season. But the results in those matches weren’t up to the incredibly high standards expected at Barcelona. A 0-0 draw against Huesca and a 2-0 loss against Celta Vigo weren’t enough to impress and, despite the fact that neither side scored whilst Todibo was on the pitch, we wouldn’t see much of the Frenchman again until his loan move to OGC Nice finally arrived two years later.
That came after an injury-interrupted loan in Germany with Schalke and an underwhelming period at Benfica, without a single league appearance, by which time Todibo had sailed down from the heights of a Barça debut at 19 to having received the unwanted tag of being a player that hadn’t convinced at the top level. Nice were taking a gamble given the context but Romanian manager Adrian Ursea, who had replaced Patrick Vieira mid-season after a losing streak left Le Gym in the bottom half of Ligue 1 and out of the Europa League in early 2021, was willing to put his trust in a pair of young loanees in defence: Todibo and William Saliba.
Saliba was of course never going to stay, as he returned to parent club Arsenal at the season’s end, but Todibo impressed enough that Nice signed him on a permanent deal the following summer with the grizzled experience of ex-Bayern star Dante returning alongside him. That was the beginning of an excellent partnership that only grew in quality until Francesco Farioli arrived in the hotseat last summer, introducing a style of play that would go on to bring the absolute best out of Todibo and make him look every bit the player that Barcelona signed in 2019 once more.
Farioli’s tactics can be a whirlwind to watch for the first time as the defensive midfielder plays something of a hybrid role between central defence and central midfield. The backline tends to line up in a four whilst in possession before quickly becoming a five when the ball is turned over with the extra cover allowing any of the defenders to use their anticipation to step out and apply pressure while others cover in behind. This unique out of possession approach sits alongside a heavy possession orientated on-ball style that brings the best out of the strongest technicians.
And this was perfect for Todibo, who brings these two elements together, reading of the game and supreme technical ability, in what really is a premium package at centre-back. Starting with the defensive side of things, the Frenchman has ranked in the top 4% for tackles in the final third (0.2 per 90) and the top 8% for shot-creating defensive actions (0.07 per 90) in Europe over the last year, showing his ability to step out, win it back, and keep his team on the attack. He managed this whilst also ranking in the top 3% for ball recoveries (7.2 per 90) and the top 11% for dribblers challenged (1.9 per 90) with just two yellow cards against his name in Ligue 1. Clearly, he was more than capable of everything Farioli’s system demanded of him defensively – mopping up in behind just as well as he pressed.
In fact, there were countless examples of Todibo performing heroics last season to protect Nice against counters. Even on the occasions where he himself was beaten when stepping out from the high line in transition defence, he had the pace to get back in front of the attacker and win the ball or stop a shot. Doing so without being booked is crucial too. We’re expecting Lopetegui to have similar demands of his centre-backs as he introduces his own possession-focused style in east London and Todibo will need to execute this high-quality defensive work in transition with the very same discipline to avoid bookings that would impact his game and team performance as a result.
If that combination of intelligence, pace, strength, and defensive discipline sounds exciting, we haven’t even got to the best bit yet because Todibo really begins to dominate when he’s given the ball. So good is he in this area that he was practically a quarterback under Farioli, attempting 84.43 passes per 90 and progressing the ball further via carry than 96% of centre-backs in Europe and further than 92% with his passing. Inserting his ball progression data in alongside Premier League centre-backs for last season places him in an outlier group for remarkable performance with seven others: two from Brighton thanks, in part, to their style under former manager Roberto De Zerbi, two from Manchester City, Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konaté, Aston Villa’s Pau Torres, and Marcos Senesi from Bournemouth.
His carrying and progressive work only looks more impressive when you add that he also ranks in the top 4% of centre-backs in Europe for successful take-ons, meaning that he comfortably dribbles when carrying the ball out of defence, and the top 8% for goal-creating actions from passes (0.17 per 90), creating a goal more than once every six games from defence.
We could continue to list statistics all day for Todibo... Ultimately, he combines incredible press-resistance with high quality progressive output, and outstanding work in transition defence. He really is one of the most exciting defensive players in the world and West Ham will be thrilled to add his talents to a squad that isn’t so far from rivalling those near the top of the Premier League.
*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of Analytics United and do not necessarily reflect the views opinions of West Ham United.
