Former Barcelona defender reflects on stint at club, opens door for return: “A great experience”

Former Barcelona defender Jean-Clair Todibo has said that he would not mind returning to Barcelona, adding that with the Blaugrana, he discovered a very high level of professionalism with very big players.

The 24-year-old Frenchman has been making waves with his performances in Ligue 1 with OGC Nice this season, leading to the rumours that he can be on his way out this summer.

Todibo, for a few Barcelona fans, is the player who slipped through their fingers. The formidable French defender possessed a combination of speed, strength, and adept ball-playing abilities and since his departure from Barcelona for a mere €8.5m, he has been excelling at Nice.

Interestingly enough, upon sanctioning his exit, Barcelona secured 20% of his future sale, meaning that his departure in the summer would benefit Barcelona as well.

A return? Why not?

Over the last few transfer windows, Todibo has been linked with an exit as reported before, the likes of Manchester United have shown keen interest. 

Jean-Clair Todibo is wanted by a few top European team. (Photo by VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images)

As for Barcelona, securing Todibo seems financially challenging for them at the moment. However, with four exceptional central defenders already in their squad and the promising development of Pau Cubarsi, it could be argued that reinforcing this position is currently the least pressing need for the team.

Despite that, when asked if he would return to Barcelona, the defender said,

“A return to Barcelona? Why not? I don’t regret it, not at all. FC Barcelona is still a great experience. I learned a lot from Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet… It did me good. I discovered the very, very high level,” he was quoted by SPORT. 

“When I arrived at Barça, the plan was for me to replace Pique. I had the qualities to do it but I wasn’t ready to do it.

“I didn’t have the desired minutes because there were very, very big players in front of me. I also had a coach, Ernesto Valverde, who was under pressure, so it was normal for him to put Pique instead of an inexperienced 19-year-old,” he added.