Jeremy Jacquet: Why are Liverpool spending £60m on Rennes centre-back?
Given the unforgiving nature of his position, it’s no surprise that there were some mistakes.
Jacquet made three errors that led to shots, and only seven players in France’s top league have made more.
Describing his style of play to L’Equipe via Ligue 1, Jacquet said: “I’m calm on the ball, maybe I can seem a little indifferent – but I’m focused. What defines me is playing well, breaking lines with the right pass.”
In 2024, he was selected for the tournament’s Under-19 Euro team and represented and captained France at youth level. This alone speaks to his leadership qualities.
And he was born in Bondy, the Paris commune where Kylian Mbappe and William Saliba come from.
Considering the price tag, there will undoubtedly be a sense of anticipation when Jacquet arrives. Liverpool’s backline could look very different at the start of next season, with Italian Giovanni Leoni also returning from his anterior cruciate ligament injury in the summer.
Liverpool were closely following Jacquet, who was also in talks with Chelsea, but their interest increased over the weekend when Jacquet was transferred to Anfield.
Apparently, Jacquet was convinced by the Liverpool project, unlike Chelsea, where the offer was less attractive because they had two more elite young defenders in the squad in Josh Acheampong and Mamadou Sarr.
As it turns out, both Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate’s contracts in Liverpool expire this summer, while captain van Dijk (34) and Joe Gomez’s contracts expire in 2027.
It would be unwise to make a move now because Jacquet is unlikely to get ahead of Van Dijk and Konate this season. He will continue as a regular starter and benefit from more playing time in Ligue 1, with Rennes pushing for a European place.
The challenge for Jacquet between now and the summer is to prepare for life in the Premier League. He is by no means a finished product and Rennes’ 4-0 defeat at Monaco on Saturday showed the margins he can improve on, especially in his decision-making when moving out of the defensive line.
It’s worth noting that the two biggest recent transfers from Ligue 1 to the Premier League have been challenging; Both Manchester United’s Leny Yoro (£52m) and Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov (£34m) are finding their first spells challenging.
“It will not be easy to get promoted from Ligue 1 to the Premier League at a club like Liverpool,” adds Laurens. “It wasn’t easy at the beginning for Leny Yoro, it wasn’t easy for William Saliba either, but Jacquet is very talented.”
