Tottenham Hotspur have been heavily linked with a move for OGC Nice centre-back Jean Clair-Todibo but there is a way Barcelona could benefit from this, according to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo.
It’s sometimes easy to forget that Todibo once played for the Spanish giants. He was a part of Barcelona for a brief period but attitude issues and a lack of trust from then coach Ernesto Valverde meant that his time was cut short.
It must also be remembered that it was around the same time that Ronald Araujo was emerging at the Catalan giants. Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet were at the top of their games. There wasn’t room for two young centre-backs to step up at the same time. Barcelona chose to give the Uruguayan the long rope and boy, hasn’t that paid off.
Looking back though, considering how quickly Lenglet’s level fell off and with the advancing age of Gerard Pique, they would have been better off retaining Todibo as well. Had they done that, they could have the Frenchman along with Araujo, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen and Inigo Martinez.
Coming back to Tottenham though, they currently have two unbelievable centre-backs in Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. Unfortunately for them though, the duo are extremely injury prone. Ben Davies has proved to be a decent backup but there is nothing beyond that.
How can Barcelona benefit from Tottenham’s Todibo transfer?
Barcelona sold Todibo to OGC Nice but showed some shrewd business awareness by inserting a 20% sell on clause into his transfer contract. This means that whatever transfer fee the Ligue 1 club get for the Frenchman, a part of it would go into the Spanish club’s packets.
Considering the club’s financial predicament, Barcelona will be rooting for this deal to go through more than Tottenham at the moment. It’s not that easy from a Spurs perspective though.
Nice are not making his life any easier for Tottenham. Considering how well they are performing in the Ligue 1 this season, the club don’t seem keen on letting the Frenchman leave midseason.
The fact that Tottenham need a centre-back does not change. With Cristian Romero out injured, the club don’t have the luxury to play the long game. If Todibo is not attainable, they might have to move on to more realistic options.
Time for Radu Dragusin?
Luckily for Spurs, they have a replacement lined up. Enter Genoa defender, Radu Dragusin. The 21-year-old Romanian defender is an absolute unit at the back and would be an apt choice for the North London club.
Compared to Todibo, Dragusin has lesser experience. He is not exposed to the biggest stage just yet. Moving to the Premier League is a completely different ball game and at 21, he doesn’t want to be thrown into the deep end.
In comparison, Todibo has seen a lot in his young career. His failures at Barcelona, the struggles and subsequent rise to the top would surely make him a much more ready product for Spurs at the moment.
However, if we aren’t able to sign the Frenchman, Dragusin is the best option we have at the moment. Tottenham must take the bait and sign the Romanian. Let’s wait and see who we choose to bolster our defence.
