Jean-Clair Todibo transfer announcement update as West Ham United medical completed
Jean-Clair Todibo has completed his West Ham medical and he could be announced as a new signing before the end of the weekend, according to Dharmesh Sheth.
The Sky Sports journalist reported via X on 9 August that the centre-back could be unveiled by the Hammers as early as the following day, as the announcement could be in the “next 24-48 hours”.
The defender had been holding out for a move to Juventus [Gazzetta dello Sport, 8 July] but arrived in London for a medical after Tim Steidten hijacked the Serie A giants move with a €40million [£34.2m] loan-to-buy deal [Fabrizio Romano, 9 August].
Sean Whetstone then reported later in the day that the Old Lady was still trying to fight back and counter-hijack the move, but it appears the Irons are set to get it over the line still.
Tim Steidten set to see of West Ham hijack from Juventus
If the announcement comes as now tipped it would be the second weekend in a row that sees the Hammers celebrate a stunning turnaround in the transfer market.
Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug and Guido Rodriguez’s arrivals all saw medicals done to start this week and it now looks set to end with the unexpected success of a move for Todibo which looked dead earlier in the window.
The Hammers clearly needed to revamp their defence heading into the summer and a new era under Julen Lopetegui after conceding the fourth-most goals in the Premier League last term.
Max Kilman was secured for £40m from Wolves to give the new boss his prime target, and much of the success going forward will depend on how the former Molineux man does at the London Stadium.
Offloading Kurt Zouma’s wages as he heads to the UAE is a sensible move even if there is no fee [David Ornstein, 8 August], given the doubts around his ability to play frequently due to his knee issues.
And it seems hard to argue that replacing him with Todibo and deferring the fee until next summer is a smart move on paper.
If Steidten could finally secure the right-back Lopetegui has asked for then it would be a hugely successful window, but frustration remains in the pursuit of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United, despite days of expectations that a deal can be done.
In other West Ham news, a FIFA agent has shared an update with the Irons linked to signing another “very, very good” attacking star.
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