Schalke are reportedly looking at making Jean-Clair Todibo’s move permanent, and there’s really no conceivable way this could go wrong.
No matter what happens this season, it’s truly allowed David Wagner to see the full breadth of his options. With all the injuries, he’s had to look far and wide for a solution to fill the gaps, and as fans, we’ve seen enough to make pretty good assessments of who and what is required to help Schalke move forward.
These injuries and pitfalls have especially allowed us to see what good shape this defense is in. particularly the centerback situation, where we’ve got five guys all qualified to start on any given day.
Had this season gone differently, with Salif Sane and Benjamin Stambouli staying healthy, a lot would have changed. Ozan Kabak would probably still be a relatively unknown commodity and, more than that, Jean-Clair Todibo wouldn’t be here.
As it stands, we’ve been able to see the full ability of two dynamic young centerbacks in Kabak and Todibo, and it’s allowed David Wagner to see that these two can be counted on to anchor the defense.
Even though it won’t be entirely necessary.
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Thus, the talks have begun surrounding Todibo joining the club permanently. While it has been pretty widely accepted as a possibility, Schalke have started to actually move to make it official.
It’s a sure-fire move. Nothing could go wrong. We’ve seen what Todibo can do, and even if you have a hesitation or two about his Bundesliga readiness, just know that he would be assuming the same role that Ozan Kabak at the start of this season. He would be that third, or even fourth centerback role, like a floater to fill in in case of disaster and to play in midweek competitions.
Which will hopefully mean Europa League at the very least. The Europa League is a competition that would do Die Knappen a ton of good, arguably even more than the Champions League.
With Kabak and Sane anchoring the first team and Matija Nastasic capable and waiting, Todibo would have all pressure alleviated. And yet we are well aware that in a pinch, he can get the job done. So what exactly could go wrong by bringing him in permanently?
It would mean that this defense is set for a long time. All four of these guys are under thirty, two are 20. It’s a great state for this defense to be in.