West Ham United have confirmed the signing of defender Jean Clair-Todibo on loan from OGC Nice with an option to buy in the summer of 2025. This deal consists of a £35m buy option.
Juventus were interested in the French central defender as discussions continued with OGC Nice to find an agreement. However, failure to find one led to West Ham hijacking the deal and poaching Jean Clair-Todibo under the Serie A side’s noses.
One of the highly-rated centre-backs across Europe, Todibo, 24, revived his career at OGC Nice after a disastrous spell with Barcelona. After initially impressing on loan, Nice signed him permanently from Barcelona in the summer of 2021. The 24-year-old made 136 appearances for the French side across all competitions, including 33 this past season.
The two-cap France international has moved to West Ham after three-and-a-half solid seasons with Nice, becoming the east London outfit’s seventh summer signing under new head coach Julen Lopetegui. Luis Guilherme, Wes Foderingham, Niclas Fullkrug, Guido Rodriguez, Max Kilman and Crysencio Summerville have also arrived at the London Stadium in what has been an exciting first summer transfer for Lopetegui as the Hammers boss.
“It is a dream come true to play in the Premier League, the best league in the world. This is an amazing opportunity for me, at a club with huge ambition, who want to really make progress under the new head coach.
“It feels like the right time to be coming to West Ham, in the heart of London, with an amazing, passionate fan-base. I’m so excited to pull on the West Ham shirt, and play at the London Stadium in the Premier League.”
West Ham were in search of another centre-back after Kilman’s acquisition. By landing Todibo, the club have bolstered their central defensive options well ahead of the new season while potentially replacing Kurt Zouma, who is set to join UAE side Shabab Al-Ahli.
Having entered the final year of his contract, the Irons have decided to cash in on Zouma and trim their wage bill as the Frenchman is among the club’s highest earners.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
