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Jean-Clair Todibo has been discussing his future and has suggested he will only stay at Barcelona if he can play regularly.
The center-back spoke to Rafik Youcef at Onze Mondial and says he loves the club but is not interested in sitting on the bench at the Camp Nou next season.
“It all depends on many things: discussions with the coach, with the board. After that, that doesn’t mean I’m going to close the door to Barcelona. When I go home, I will give myself fully to training. Because on top of all that, I really love this club.
“If the coach says to me: ‘Stay and you will have playing time.’ It will inevitably make me think. But staying in Barcelona to play three games in six months is not interesting. I am only 20 years old, I need to play and gain experience.”
Todibo arrived at Barcelona from Toulouse in January 2019, signing a contract that runs until the end of the 2022-23 campaign. He made two La Liga appearances for the club at the end of last season and managed just three outings in 2019-20 before heading to the Bundesliga in January for a loan spell with Schalke.
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Todibo Keen To Play
The French center-back spoke about his frustration at not seeing more playing time at Barcelona at the start of the season before he left on loan. The 20-year-old is behind experienced internationals Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti in the pecking order but feels he should have been picked more often.
“For me, this season, I deserved more playing time. The first six months, when I arrived, I didn’t mind not playing because in training, I saw that I didn’t have not yet level. But this year, I would have deserved to play more.
“But I didn’t make a big deal out of it because it was the coach’s choice and I understand. Today, people can tell me what they want about Piqué. If I am a coach, I prefer to put Pique in Todibo. He has a real track record, he’s a great player. But I think I could have played some games.”
Todibo did feature more regularly in a struggling Schalke team, making 10 appearances in all competitions for the German outfit in 2020. The defender explained how playing in a different league has helped develop his game.
“Already, on a defensive level, I am no longer the same player. I have experienced actions that I had not experienced before, whether in La Liga or Ligue 1. I cannot give you a specific example. But in my head, it’s clear, these are situations that I did not know. It was new for me to defend in this way. I learned new defensive techniques, I added strengths to my palette. Especially on corners and counter attacks. “
What Next For Todibo?
Todibo may have to leave Barcelona if he is to play regularly next season. He’s unlikely to oust Pique and Lenglet from the first team, while Barcelona B defender Ronald Araujo appears to have moved ahead of him in the pecking order.
Barcelona are also keen to bring in Eric Garcia from Manchester City to be another defensive option, according to Lluis Miguelsanz at Sport. Garcia will either arrive in the summer or when his contract expires next season.
Meanwhile, Todibo is one of several players Barcelona are considering selling, according to Javier Gascon at Mundo Deportivo. The Catalan giants need to trim their squad, and it would be no surprise if Todibo were considered surplus to requirements.
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