The Nice defєɴԀer has been linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent times
With the signing of a new striker and midfielder seemingly set to behigh on the agєɴԀaforManchester Unitedthis summer, it does appear that managerErik ten Hagis also keen to strengthen his centre-back ranks, amid ɾєρօɾτs that club captain Harry Maguire could beshown the door.
One name that has been mooted as a potential option this summer is Ajax starlet, Jurrien Timber, with journalist Fabrizio Romano having stated last month thatTen Hag is the “biggest fan”of the 21-year-old, with United said to be constantly “informed” about the Dutchman’s situation in Amsterdam.
The 5 foot 10 centre-back – who worked under his compatriot at the Johan Cruyff Arena – was also a ɾєρօɾτed target for the Red Devils last summer prior to the capture of his centre-back colleague, Lisandro Martinez, with The Guardian having claimed at the time that the Old Trafford outfithad begun talksregarding a possible £43m swoop.
With Timber subsequently going on to sign anew contract extensionwith the Eredivisie side, no such move came to fruition, with it again now looking as if the Carabao Cup winners won’t be able to get their man, following ɾєρօɾτs that rivals Arsenal havelodged a £30m offerfor the Utrecht native.
If the Gunners are to wrap up a Ԁєɑł in the near future, Ten Hag will be forced to look elsewhere to find a suitable alternative to help bolster the backline, with the aforementioned Romano notably stating earlier this week that the clubhave been scoutingNice star, Jean-Clair Todibo of late – with the promising Frenchmanvalued at around £26m, according to ɾєρօɾτs in Spain.
Who is Jean-Clair Todibo?
The former Barcelona man could well represent a “big bargain” for any potential suitor this summer -according to talent scout Jacek Kulig- having blossomed into arguably one of the most “underrated” defєɴԀers in Europe of late following his standout showings in his native France.
Previously described as the “best centre-back I’ve seen in a long time” by German legєɴԀ Lothar Matthaus during a prior loan spell at Bundesliga side Schalke, the 6 foot 3 machine is certainly a well-regarded figure in the game, despite having failed to make his mark at Camp Nou where he made justfive senior appearances.
Having spent the last two-and-a-half years at Nice – after initially signing on loan in February 2021 – Todibo has become a standout presence for the Ligue 1 outfit, having been described as being as “solid as a rock” by the aforementioned Kulig in the recent past.
The one-time Toulouse starlet could well provide a greater ball-winning asset than that of Timber if he is to make the move to the Theatre of Dreams, as the 23-year-old has averaged2.38 tackles per 90across the last 365 days to rank in the top 8% in that regard among his European peers, while the Ajax man hasaveraged just 1.40for the same metric.
Todibo’s brilliance at playing out from the back is also shown by the fact that he ranks in thetop 5% for successful take-onsat an average of 0.63 per 90, with that again a superior record to Timber, who has averaged just0.56 per 90while featuring outside of Europe’s top five leagues.
That would suggest that the signing of the one-time France youth international could allow Ten Hag to forget all about his former asset, with Todibo potentially set to be the ‘bargain’ defensive option that United are in need of.
