When Liverpool paid £60m for a 21-year-old centre-back who had made just 36 Ligue 1 appearances, plenty of people called it a punt. Three months into the season, the punt looks like one of the better calls the club has made.
Trusting the Process
Jeremy Jacquet marked Liverpool's fourth Premier League clean sheet of the season, against Brighton on Sunday, by posting a song lyric about trusting the plan. It suited him. He has started every Premier League and Champions League game since arriving, and his 956 minutes are more than any other Liverpool player has played apart from goalkeeper Alisson on 990.
That workload matters because Jacquet spent most of the last year hurt. He broke a shoulder in February, then picked up a knee problem over the summer and played no part in the pre-season tour of the United States. His first game for the club was a friendly against Como, in which he scored at Anfield a week before the league season began.
The Yoro Comparison
The story has an awkward sub-plot for Manchester United. Liverpool looked at Leny Yoro in 2024, and in doing so found Jacquet, then at Rennes. Yoro went to Old Trafford from Lille. On Sunday the contrast was hard to miss: Yoro, 20, made a damaging error as United lost to Bournemouth, while Jacquet had another assured afternoon against Brighton.
Chelsea were also interested, and Jacquet was well regarded inside Stamford Bridge, but he chose Liverpool. Rennes refused to sell in January, and Richard Hughes, then the sporting director, was ready to wait until the summer rather than walk away. At the time the move raised eyebrows. Now it reads as patience paying off.
What the Numbers and the Coaches Say
Konate's departure for Real Madrid left a hole next to Virgil van Dijk, and with Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni struggling for fitness, Jacquet got the nod at Newcastle. He conceded early there but passed well, and he has since handled Brentford's Igor Thiago and stood up to Manchester City and Erling Haaland, even in defeat. Four league clean sheets, 15 interceptions, 10 blocks and 19 tackles tell the same story. The tackle count is the highest of any Liverpool team-mate, and his interceptions and blocks both rank fourth in the Premier League.
France noticed. Zinedine Zidane gave him a debut against Italy earlier this month and praised him afterwards, repeating the words "very good" several times. Van Dijk, 35, was careful but encouraging, saying the partnership improves every day and that he does not think Jacquet has reached his ceiling.
The next test is Wednesday night, when Chelsea visit Anfield in the Carabao Cup with Xabi Alonso back on the touchline. Chelsea, who rated him highly, will be the visitors facing the club that won the race for him. Liverpool will feel they got the better end of that argument.
Player context: Jeremy Jacquet, 21, joined Liverpool from Rennes in a deal worth £60m. 956 Premier League and Champions League minutes this season, four Premier League clean sheets. Source reporting: BBC Sport.
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