Patience is paying off for Jean-Clair Todibo after the summer signing completed his first 90 minutes in West Ham United colours at Brentford on Saturday.
The Frenchman is making up for lost time after missing out on pre-season and joining the Irons from OGC Nice on the eve of the new campaign.
After being eased into action with starts in Carabao Cup fixtures against AFC Bournemouth and Liverpool, and from the bench in Premier League outings against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, he was given his chance from the off at the Gtech Community Stadium.
He helped his team claim a fifth point of the new campaign, too, as they recovered from the shock of conceding to Bryan Mbeumo inside the first minute to earn a 1-1 draw thanks to Tomáš Souček’s 54th-minute leveller.
First and foremost, Todibo was happy to take a point, but he was also delighted to continue his progress with that first start in what he calls the most intense league in the world.
“It was good to play my first 90 minutes in the Premier League,” he confirmed. “Unfortunately we took that goal at the beginning of the game, but we showed a good reaction afterwards and I think we did well.
“We deserved maybe more than a draw, but it’s okay, it’s a good point today I think.
“I’m happy because I think the Club gave me the time to get fit. I didn’t have a pre-season before I came here, so it took me a bit of time to come back well.
“The game is more intense in the Premier League than in Ligue 1, more intense than all the leagues in the world, I think.
“Today I’m not 100 per cent, but I think I’m going to improve more with the time, and have a good impact in the team.”
Todibo was one of nine new arrivals in east London this summer, as the Hammers rebuilt under the stewardship of a new Head Coach in Julen Lopetegui, too.
The former Toulouse and Barcelona man says a period of bedding in was inevitable but he is convinced the team is ready to kick-on into the Autumn.
“The team has a lot of good quality, a lot of good players like Jarrod [Bowen], like Mo [Kudus], Lucas [Paquetá] as well. And I love playing with Max [Kilman],” he continued.
“I think we have a really good team, we just need time to understand each other. The Club bought nine new players and has a new coach, so we all need time for everything to go well.
“I’m sure we will compete against the teams at the top.
“Next week, it’s time for us to win [against Ipswich Town]. It was a tough period last week to lose twice by big scores, but there is a good direction with the team and we’re confident for next week because we work a lot for this.”
