Jean-Clair Todibo plotting Champions League return for Schalke
Jean-Clair Todibo has said that he wants to see Schalke return to the UEFA Champions League after completing his move to the Royal Blues on loan from Barcelona.
Todibo became coach David Wagner's second acquisition of the winter transfer window on Wednesday, following the arrival of Michael Gregoritsch on loan from Augsburg, and the 20-year-old French youth international has wasted little time in stating his ambition.
"I want to help get the club back into Europe this season," he told Schalke's official website. "Schalke's a massive club, not just in Germany but throughout the whole of Europe; it deserves to be playing in the most prestigious competitions."
The Royal Blues were Champions League semi-finalists in 2011 and have qualified for the competition in five of the last 10 seasons, but last year's 14th-place finish in the Bundesliga made for a rare break from European football in 2019/20. Todibo says his hunger for renewed success is shared by the club.
"I've only been in Gelsenkirchen for a few days, but I can already feel how special this club is," he continued. "I get the feeling from everyone I've met who works here that they all live for Schalke. The stadium is equally as impressive. I'm looking forward to running out onto the pitch for the first time."
Schalke are currently fifth on 30 points, only outside of the Champions League places on goal-difference before kicking of the Rückrunde at home to second-placed Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday night.
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Todibo, who enjoyed four clean sheets in his four league appearances with Barcelona, thinks his experience of rubbing shoulders with Lionel Messi can help him lead Schalke's continued charge up the table.
"It's not that hard," he laughed when asked about marking the six-time Ballon d'Or winner in training. "It's helped me a lot to be training at such a high level every day. My aim is to improve every single session."
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