Tottenham Hotspur's new era under Ange Postecoglou's stewardship has been blighted by a torrent of absences inflicted on the side over recent weeks, ruining an exemplary start to the Premier League season.
Having been so poor last season, it was quite remarkable that the former Celtic manager succeeded in pumping energy and confidence back into this Spurs side, who darted into a scramble at the top over the opening months of the campaign – actually topping the table after ten matches.
But the squad's thinness always threatened to be the sticking point and a 4-1 home defeat against Chelsea one month ago underscored the frailty of Postecoglou's team.
In particular, the defence needs attention in January after Cristian Romero's straight red card against the Blues; more detrimentally, influential £43m summer signing Micky van de Ven injured his hamstring in that match and will not return until after the new year.
Reinforcements are paramount, and Tottenham might just have identified the perfect winter addition to get the squad back on track.
Tottenham transfer news – Jean-Clair Todibo
According to a report from the Evening Standard earlier this week, Tottenham are looking to rival Liverpool and Manchester United for OGC Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo in January.
The 23-year-old Frenchman has been excellent in Ligue 1 and is indeed being lined up for a move to the Premier League, though Les Aiglons will demand around £39m to grant his departure.
It's stressed that Spurs would not have an easy run in securing Todibo's signature, with Manchester United also interested, but given the urgency of bolstering the backline this winter, chairman Daniel Levy might pull the strings required to land their man.
Jean-Clair Todibo's season in numbers
Nice are ensconced in second place in Ligue 1 after 13 matches and are the only team in the division to have yet t daste defeat; they are just one point behind table-topping champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Most impressively, Nice have conceded just four goals in the league so far this season, with Todibo playing an instrumental role in creating this cohesive and formidable unit, having once been described as "solid as a rock" by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
As per Sofascore, the £20k-per-week titan has started 11 games and remarkably taken an average of 99 touches per game – for reference, Manchester City's Ruben Dias takes 91.5 touches each outing in the Premier League this year.
Completing 90% of his passes, Todibo also averages a whopping total of 7.8 ball recoveries, two tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 2.8 clearances per contest, succeeding with 88% of his dribbles and 62% of his contested duels.
Mighty and menacing, the one-time Barcelona prospect is among the finest defenders in France and boasts a modern scope of skills to make him a fantastic fit at Tottenham.
Jean-Clair Todibo's style of play
As per FBref, Todibo ranks among the top 20% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 9% for passes attempted, the top 18% for progressive passes, the top 7% for successful take-ons and the top 5% for tackles per 90.
Effectively, this showcases an extraordinary level of distribution and his robustness in his defensive work, frequently disarming surging attackers and driving forward himself, influencing attacking patterns from deep.
Player
Club
Fikayo Tomori
AC Milan
William Saliba
Arsenal
Antonio Rudiger
Real Madrid
Sven Botman
Newcastle United
Andreas Christensen
Barcelona
*Sourced via Football Transfers
In an interview with Ligue 1 Uber Eats, Todibo's Brazilian defensive partner Dante waxed lyrical over his skill set and highlighted the developing maturity of his craft, now finding balance between creative risk-taking and solidity in his defensive work.
Dante said: "He always played a risky game, far too risky. Now he has found real balance in his game between taking risks, dribbling out from the back because it’s the best thing to do and having fun on the pitch! I’m not saying he should kick the ball out into touch, never! I’d rather he takes a risk. And he’s progressed in that domain!"
With Van de Ven currently sat on the sidelines and perhaps not returning until the later stages of January (or beyond…), Todibo could arrive to partner Romero in front of Guglielmo Vicario's goal.
Imagine Jean-Clair Todibo and Cristian Romero
Signed from Atalanta for £42m in 2022, Romero has now amassed 75 appearances for his English side and has been noted for his "incredible" displays this season by Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold.
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Tottenham will need to bolster the backline in January.
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He was even proclaimed to be the "best defender in the world right now" by Lionel Messi, with the duo instrumental cogs in Argentina's 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar.
The 25-year-old ranks among the top 7% of centre-backs for tackles per 90 and is known for his ferocious, tough-challenging style, and could work in tandem with Todibo, who offers similar physical dominance.
With Romero breaking up attacks, sweeping away danger and generally just proving to be a thorny nuisance for any brave attacker risking a venture into his realm, Todibo's proclivity for offensive-instigating movements could be brought to the fore.
Such a duo really could send a frisson of excitement coursing down the N17, and Postecoglou would be wise to throw the kitchen sink at a deal, deepening his side's ranks with the perfect kind of acquisition.
While Van de Ven and Romero's partnership highlighted the duo's credentials as starting stars under Postecoglou's wing, it's clear that greater support is needed to cement Tottenham as a formidable force in the Premier League.
Especially when considering that the club dreams of a return to the Champions League, where rotation across the multitude of competitions is even more important.
Todibo's listed qualities suggest that he would be a fantastic fit for Spurs' fluid, innovative style, with the Frenchman's distribution and athleticism particularly eye-catching.
With the likes of Manchester United also circling, Tottenham must move swiftly to secure the former Barcelona centre-half's signature, aiding the club in its pursuit of prominence.
