According to ESPN, Southampton and Watford are interested in signing Barcelona centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo this January, while AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen are also eyeing up the young defender.
The Spanish champions reportedly need to raise €124m (£105m) before June 30th to avoid financial problems, meaning that the side managed by Ernesto Valverde ‘highly values’ the interest of the aforementioned four clubs.
Todibo is only 19 years of age, and has managed to play just 77 minutes of football in La Liga so far this season.
However, he did deliver an excellent performance against Inter Milan in the Champions League recently, winning the WhoScored Man of the Match award for his showing.
Southampton possess one of the leakiest defences in the Premier League as things stand – in fact, it is the softest backline having conceded a league-high 36 goals in 17 outings – so there is definitely a need for some defensive reinforcements.
So, would Todibo be the man to sort out Southampton’s backline?
Billy Meyers
“First things first, it is clear that Todibo is a young defender of real potential and he could well go on to be a world-beater in the game. However, Southampton don’t have time to wait for potential to be fulfilled. Ralph Hasenhuttl already has a youthful centre-back pairing consisting of 23-year-old Jan Bednarek and 25-year-old Jack Stephens, and needs someone to come in and guide them onto the right path – this is why we detailed that Southampton may have missed a trick by not signing Gary Cahill. Todibo may be a star of the future, but the Saints could very easily find themselves in the Championship while he’s fulfilling that potential if they don’t get a leader in.”
Kealan Hughes
“Todibo has shown signs of promise in his few appearances for Barcelona, even managing an impressive eight tackles in one Champions League game, but he would be too much of a risk for the Saints.
“Southampton are in need of defensive improvement having conceded 36 goals in 17 league games, but there is a lack of Premier League experience in the options currently at the club, and that is what Hasenhuttl should be looking to add. They brought in Jannik Vestergaard for £18m but he hasn’t really adjusted to Premier League life as they would have wished – he is reportedly available for a loan in January (The Sunday Mirror, 8th December, page 67) – and therefore they should avoid making a similar mistake.”Southampton’s safety hangs very much in the balance and that means Todibo should be sought in the summer if they retain their Premier League status, as opposed to now when they need an experienced head to provide the leadership they lost when Virgil van Dijk departed.”Charles Jones“While I can’t say I’ve seen loads of Todibo, the defender surely can’t be worse than anything Southampton already have at the back. The Saints have conceded a league-high 36 goals with that tally compounded by the 9-0 thumping they received at the hands of Leicester City earlier this season.”Fixing that defence has to be their highest priority, but I honestly don’t think Todibo is the true answer to that. Would he fix them a little bit? Maybe, but not enough to pull them out of trouble.”The 19-year-old has very little experience and bringing in a Barcelona teenager when you’re battling against relegation seems like a bad idea, due to the fact that he won’t have the know-how needed when scrapping towards the bottom end of the division.”Domagoj Kostanjsak“Even though Valverde has scarcely used him ever since his big transfer to Barcelona, Todibo is still a top talent destined to become one of the best in his position. I think that he would be able to bring a lot to Southampton. He is already showing great signs at such a young age – he’s quick, strong, secure on the ball and has incredible technical abilities. He’s the one to carry the ball forward and the one to pluck holes going the other way. I see him as a top defender in the near future.”In other news, Southampton’s new Director of Football Matt Crocker may have his first project on the table after this announcement…