In a stop-start season which for some West Ham players is still only just getting going, the club and squad have experienced all manner of chaos and misfortune. Three managers within a twelve month period is hardly settled and the players can only have struggled to give of their best: Whatever we think of the imbalance of the squad, trying to play in three different ways according to three sets of coaches is a recipe for disaster.
Fortunately the club have Southampton , Ipswich Town and Leicester City to thank for being even more average than West Ham this season: Premier League safety is assured even with the Irons’ shabby form.
There have been lights in the gloom, however, and whilst Jarrod Bowen always shines and the newly rehabbed Niclas Fullkrug is enjoying a late bloom, neither win the ‘unappreciated player of the season award’ as per onefootball.com’s article today. Very easy to get blinkered in our own judgement so a little objectivity sometimes is no bad thing. Their pick?:
West Ham’s most underappreciated: JCT
“New center back Jean-Clair Todibo, who has been one of a few positive hits from the last summer transfer window. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Max Kilman have deservingly hoarded much of the praise as major upgrades to the new-look back line, but Todibo also looks like a solid building block for the club, even at a somewhat bloated price tag.
Todibo was one of the best center backs in Ligue 1, renowned for his ball-playing ability, and he’s brought that quality to the London Stadium in 2024/25. The Frenchman is completing over 87 percent of his pass attempts, which is massive for a West Ham side that struggles to string passes together”
If Todibo can sort out his fitness to become as dependable as Kilman, then West Ham will go a long way to ending the porosity that has plagued the defence ahead of next season. Arguably with the return of the on-loan Nayef Aguerd, West Ham will have a back three to do justice to Potter’s preferred set up and style of play. If only scoring at the other end were such an easy fix.
So remind me again why Steidten was deemed a failure? Previously, you had cited Guilherme and Fullkrug as being his two big mistakes, but now Fullkrug finally gets a goal and he is suddenly “enjoying a late bloom”, and spoken of as a success along with Kilman, Todibo and Wan-Bissaka, leaving only the young Brazilian to take the blame.
Yes he’s a very good defender & will get better as his fitness improves. However , one mistake & this site will start slagging him off , much like the keeper following Saturdays error. ⚒⚒
Quality defender, but I don’t like seeing him beyond the halfway line (except for corners) and then jogging slowly back when the opponents counter attack.
There’s definitely a player there, but hard to judge definitively after what has been a stop start season with injuries. Hopefully he can stay fit next season and improve our defence.