What are Liverpool getting in Jeremy Jacquet?

Liverpool’s transfer recruitment in recent years has made for much discussion. The final years of the Jürgen Klopp era saw them try to refresh the squad with players who were in the beginning stages of their prime or approaching it. On the whole, the strategy was successful. Although the acquisition of Darwin Núñez did not pan out, you have others like Alexis Mac Allister, Luis Díaz, and Dominik Szoboszlai which helped keep open their title contention window.

Once Arne Slot replaced Klopp for the 24-25 season, Liverpool kept their power dry in the transfer market. They hoped the combination of the strong squad left in place, along with better luck, would be enough to win the league. It was reminiscent of 2019-20 when they similarly barely spent on transfers after very nearly winning the league during the prior season. The bet ended up working in their favor, cruising to the Premier League title in 2025. In contrast, they did not play it safe last summer, turning into the Merseyside Galacticos with their massive spending. The early results have been disappointing for various reasons, currently languishing in 6th. 

Although Liverpool only made one signing during the January window, it was a pricey one. The acquisition of Jeremy Jacquet from Stade Rennais for a reported £55m + £5m in add-ons was fascinating on a couple of fronts. The first is it continues last summer’s theme of future proofing for the eventual transition into the next era of Liverpool. The second is it’s a move the club have not done much of since their return to Europe’s elite. In acquiring the young French center-back, they’re paying top dollar for a highly rated prospect who hasn’t played a ton of football.

This is Jacquet’s first full season in Ligue 1, having returned from loan in Ligue 2 halfway through last season with Clermont Foot. 2025-26 has seen him be an every week starter as part of a Rennes side that once again has had a decent season, fighting with Lille to finish in 5th which would qualify for the Europa League. He’s been trusted to handle the responsibilities which come with being the center of a back three/five, which is no small feat. 

What’s clear when watching Jacquet, particularly on the defensive side, is how much on the front foot he is. Whenever Rennes try to press high up the pitch, especially versus coordinated buildup routines, he’s willing to mark his opponent well into their own half. He commits aggressively, almost to a fault. You could make numerous screenshots of him following his marker. It can lead to dicey situations where he has to judge at what point he has to retreat back into the defensive line. This can lead him to being dragged out of position on occasion, but he’s largely been diligent in avoiding those situations. He’s not the smoothest when having to drift out wide and defend in 1v1s, at least partially due to his physical stature with possessing long legs, and not moving his feet quickly enough. This viz from Pranav helps illustrate the issues he’s had in those situations.

However, Jacquet’s not some reckless CB who runs around for the sake of it. Rather, he reads the game at a high enough level to compliment the above average athleticism he possesses (particularly his acceleration off the mark). This includes gesturing the rest of the defensive line to push up and reduce space between the lines, and putting out fires on a consistent basis. He’s often been successful when it comes to stepping out of the defensive line for interceptions, and not being afraid to be physical if up against forwards who want to play with their back to goal.

Jacquet also does a good job at tracking forwards when having to defend deep, and then winning aerial duels. Despite not facing a ton of aerial duels, he’s held his own in this department. In addition, he’ll try to redirect the ball towards his teammates. Those occurrences are almost akin to a center in basketball who redirects a block to keep it in play. His ability to reduce and even outright repel threats in general, at least against Ligue 1 competition, is impressive for a 20 year old.

On the ball, Jacquet can occasionally be a passenger during buildup, positioned in the pivot while others look to progress the play. When he is trying to play through pressure, it’s not always the cleanest as he can look a little gangly in certain situations. This is especially pronounced if having to play on the left side, losing accuracy with progressive passing attempts. Even still, he’s more often than not been a calm operator. The weighting with his between the lines passing is consistent, including on short lobs into the halfspace for open teammates. The example below vs Olympique Lyonnais from September illustrates the kind of manipulation you’d want from a top class CB, especially one who’ll have to regularly break down set defenses.

On the whole, the passing numbers are promising for Jacquet. In terms of line-breaking passes, he’s 7th in Ligue 1 with 6.98 per 90 according to Statsbomb. For reference, the league leader is PSG’s Lucas Beraldo. 20% of his passes are line-breakers, and he’s completing them at a 74% success rate, which is good. He’s also been very accurate when switching the play. This is along the lines of what you’d want to see from him. There’s also intrigue with Jacquet in leveraging his athletic gifts as a carrier. He’ll often move the ball forward into space if given the opportunity, even occasionally letting the ball roll and delaying the first touch for just enough to get an advantage. Being proficient at both carrying and passing would be a huge boon. 

As of now, what you have with Jacquet is a high-end CB prospect who has shown flashes of something even greater. Already at a young age, he’s displayed the capacity out of possession to do the small things that the elites at his position excel in. On the ball, he’s been good enough to believe he can eventually be a positive in English football, although perhaps not an overwhelming one. Jacquet’s statistical profile is intriguing, albeit it’s always important to note the difficulties of statistically evaluating CBs due to team dynamics.

One of the biggest things to monitor with Jacquet going forward is what level of a big space defender he gets to. When healthy, both Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley on the right side love to get forward, so the RCB is having to cover a ton of real estate. It’s a lot to ask given the quality of wingers in the PL, along with how tough the league can be from an athleticism standpoint (although Ligue 1 is no slouch in this department). Moving from an environment where he had wide CBs with him, to taking on those responsibilities, won’t be easy.

This is all to say that there’s certainly some risk from Liverpool’s point of view. Spending big on a prospect like Jacquet who doesn’t have a vast track record of success isn’t something they’ve regularly done. It certainly might work, even though the learning curve for young defenders in the PL can be steep. To this point, he’s more than held his own in France. Liverpool are hoping he can grow into being one of the best at his position, which would make the fee more than worth it.

Jacquet will be departing French football following the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, having played at a high level for someone his age. Liverpool are banking he can handle himself in a two-man CB pairing, versus the three CB setup he’s been a part of with Rennes. The transition will come with a bigger role in-possession, while also having to defend more often in bigger spaces. If he can handle both, then we’re talking a future star, although it’s also possible he settles into a tier or two below that vaunted level. If Liverpool are to soon create another great side, it will likely involve a fully realized version of Jeremy Jacquet shepherding their defensive line.

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