Cast your mind back to the summer of 2024: West Ham were supremely active in the summer transfer window and somewhat surprisingly linked with one defender in particular who was wanted by both Juventius and Manchester United. I remember at the time several Claret and Hugh readers raising the spectre that he would not be at West Ham more than one season.
‘Cynics’ I thought: I dismissed the comments as those made by conspiracy theorists, (we do get a few, to be honest.)
Strangely enough, reports have now appeared linking that very player to the very move suggested by the theorists a year ago.
When West Ham signed Jean Clair Todibo, it was professed to be because – much as Manchester United wanted him – he could not be transferred from Nice to Manchester United thanks to UEFA’s rules on multi-club ownership. As @TheAthletic tweeted last summer:
As The Athletic reported at the time: “Manchester United face a massive obstacle in their pursuit of Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo. The Athletic reports that the fact Ineos have stakes in both sides will likely preclude them from being allowed to do a deal.”
So in the end, he signed for little old West Ham instead on a ‘loan to buy deal’. Several comments on our forum at that time cynically ( I thought) suggested the sale to West Ham was just Manchester United and Nice’s way of getting around the rules and that ‘he’d be off to Manchester United in under a year’. How I derided those comments last summer.
Now in a turn that adds fuel to the conspiracy theorists’ bonfire, what do I see today but reports (Give Me Sport) linking Todibo with a move to old Trafford in the very manner predicted.(“Exclusive:Man Utd could Make Surprise Move To Sign Exciting France Star”).
The very theorists who I rubbished last summer may yet have the last laugh if Todibo ends up moving to Old Trafford less than a year after joining West Ham: As if the Eli Junior-Kroupi transfer from Lorient to Bournemouth hasn’t troubled West Ham and raised the issue of UEFA multi-club ownership enough.
However, I’ll not spit my dummy out and go full-on hissy fit just yet.
It is only a report.
If ManU make any move for Todibo then we know. Did we get Wan-B as a sweetener? Well he has been great for us, and would be even better if Todibo plays RCB next to him? So will we see Todibo actually play full on for us, or are we the ones being played? I suspect the latter, we could not get Maguire no matter how we tried, but a young man like Wan-B, no problem, just the £15 mil. So Mr Sullivan, are we just pawns?
After weeks of trying, in the same week last summer suddenly two deals were done, United sold Wan-Bissaka for a pittance and Nice, Tobido and his agents all agreed to a 12 month loan.
I am convinced now, as I was then, that a deal was done with United, to park Tobido with us for a year, and in return we have AWB for 15 mill
Yes, I agree it would be good to see the lad play, but AWB has been so good, if that was the deal, then I wouldn’t mind Cresswell, or even giving Casey a run out, and let Tobido sit with the medics.
Trouble is at Cresswell age pace and injury could be a problem at any given time.
He’s no longer as fit as a defender needs to be over 90 minutes.
you could well be right
It would be nice to see Todibo actually play a game of football wouldn’t it.
What a load of codswallop and belongs in the same bin as those that said Tobido going to Juventus was imminent a couple,of weeks ago.