Jeremy Jacquet is quietly showing Liverpool what their post-Van Dijk future could look like | OneFootball

Under the radar of Liverpool's mixed start to the Premier League season under Andoni Iraola has been the quiet confidence of Jeremy Jacquet.

As the spotlight glares on midfield issues and underwhelming big-money signings, Jacquet has looked at ease. Liverpool's decision to spend up to £60m to sign an unproven prospect from France in January represented a gamble, but the early returns are hugely encouraging.

That level of assurance is particularly impressive given Jacquet arrived at Anfield with just 32 Ligue 1 starts to his name.

Virgil van Dijk has often elevated his centre-back partners at Liverpool, but Jacquet has not needed an excessive amount of guidance. His numbers across the admittedly small sample size of the Premier League season so far are impressive.

Jacquet leads allPremier League centre-backs for defensive duels, progressive passes completed, accurate passes into the final third, and progressive actions per 90 minutes. He's fourth for defensive duels won and progressive carries, and fifth for successful dribbles. Across a broad range of metrics, Jacquet is ranking alongside the league's elite.

The early numbers paint the picture of exactly what Liverpool hoped they were buying: a defender comfortable stepping forward both with and without the ball.

Already, he's shown maturity in his performances. Last weekend's draw with Fulham saw Jacquet keep the game goalless with a goal-line clearance, having positioned himself behind Alisson as Fulham threatened.

Liverpool needed Jacquet to hit the ground running at a time when recent signings have taken time to settle. Ibrahima Konate's contract stand-off ended in an exit for Real Madrid, while Joe Gomez's fitness record means the long-serving defender can not be relied upon consistently.

There is also the bigger picture. Van Dijk turned 35 in the summer and is yet to extend a contract that expires next year. With Konate already gone, Liverpool's succession planning at centre-back had suddenly become urgent.

Could Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni be Liverpool's future?

Jacquet appears to be one part of the solution. The hope will be that Giovanni Leoni can recover from the ACL injury that derailed his debut season and eventually form a long-term partnership with the Frenchman at Anfield.

On paper, there are signs it could be a complementary partnership.

Using Leoni's 2024/25 data at Parma, the 19-year-old excels in areas that Jacquet does not. While the latter ranks in the top 5% of defenders in Europe's top five leagues for progressive carries and passes, and in the top 11% for pass accuracy.

Leoni, in contrast, ranked in the bottom 10% on each progressive metric in his final season with Parma. Those numbers will be expected to improve in a more possession-dominated approach, though it's Leoni's duel-winning that caught Liverpool's eye.

At just 18, he was in the top 15% for percentage of aerial duels won in 2024/25, offering hope he can eventually replace the aerially dominant Van Dijk.

There are obvious caveats. Leoni and Jacquet are young, the latter has played only four Premier League games, and projecting a partnership using numbers from different leagues and systems can only tell us so much.

But the profiles are intriguing.

For now, both have the perfect mentor. Van Dijk is the fountain of knowledge from which the pair must soak. He has been the benchmark for Premier League centre-backs for almost a decade and there are few better players for two young defenders to learn from.

Both have much to learn, but the early signs from Jacquet are hugely positive. Liverpool's next long-term centre-back partnership might already be at Anfield, learning from the man they will eventually have to replace.