How Liverpool hijacking Chelsea for Jacquet could cost them Champions League football | OneFootball

With just three points separating Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool in what looks increasingly like a three-horse race for two Champions League qualification spots, Liverpool hijacking Chelsea’s move for Jeremy Jacquet in January may prove to be a blessing in disguise for the Blues and cost the Reds in the run-in.

High on Enzo Maresca’s list of recriminations aimed at the BlueCo hierarchy upon his mutual consenting last month will have been their failure to sign a new centre-back after Levi Colwill was struck down with a long-term injury on eve of the season.

The Italian stepped out of line for the first time in publicly declaring their differences in opinion in what turned out to be the first crack in a relationship which was irreparable come the turn of the year.

Within days of Maresca’s departure Chelsea were holding talks with Jeremy Jacquet over a move from Rennes, only to be hijacked by Liverpool, who signed the 20-year-old for £60m.

But it’s a transfer blow which looks to have boosted Chelsea in their bid for Champions League qualification.

Jacquet won’t be joining Liverpool until the summer after the Reds agreed to allow him to continue with the Ligue 1 club for the rest of the campaign. Reports suggest that would likely also have been a stipulation had Chelsea won the race.

Upon being snubbed by Jacquet, Chelsea responded by recalling Mamadou Sarr from his season-long loan at sister club Strasbourg, from whom the Blues signed the centre-back for £12m in the summer.

The 20-year-old went straight into the starting lineup against Hull on Friday, and manager Liam Rosenior – who worked with Sarr at Strasbourg – gave a glowing review of his performance.

“Mamadou was everything that I expect. I know Mamadou so well. I think the acclimatisation adaptation process for him hopefully will be faster because he understands the way I want to play, and he already showed that today,” Rosenior said.

Like Maresca, Rosenior has rotated his centre-backs since his arrival, struggling as his predecessor did to find a pairing that works together and gets close to matching the quality in other areas of the pitch. The defence and the goalkeeper remain the points of difference between Chelsea and the teams challenging for the most major honours.

Even with Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk’s major struggles this season, few would pick any of the options Rosenior has (or rather had) to call upon ahead of those two. But Sarr, from a sample size of one, looks set to improve Chelsea in a big way.

On Sarr – who’s just won AFCON with Senegal – Rosenior told The Athletic last year: “I could talk about him for hours. His nickname is Mamadou Rosenior, he’s my son.

“It’s scary to show such performances at 19 with such calmness in the face of strong teams. He just has to stay humble and calm and he will be a top player for sure.

“His temperament, his athleticism, his ability on the ball… he’s got everything you need to be a world-class centre-half.”

The key to an impact signing in January is their ability to hit the ground running, and as Sarr already showed and Rosenior insisted after the game at Hull, their previous work together is a massive benefit. We’ve already seen the value in that through the significant improvement in Andrey Santos – another ex-Strasbourg star – under Rosenior.

Would Jacquet have had the same impact had a) Chelsea beaten Liverpool to his signature, and b) Rennes agreed to allow his departure mid-season? Maybe. Probably not.

With Sarr arriving readymade and this season’s aims in mind, Chelsea may end up thanking Liverpool for the hijack.