PROFILE | Arsenal target Jérémy Jacquet keeps his feet on the ground after meteoric rise in 2025 | OneFootball

In the final days of the 2025 winter transfer window, Rennes were in dire need of defensive reinforcements. They went on to sign Lilian Brassier from Brest and Anthony Rouault from Stuttgart for a combined €25m. They also spent an extra €1m on a player they already have on their books, promising centre-back Jérémy Jacquet, who was reportedly “eating Ligue 2 alive” during a loan spell at Clermont.

The second half of the Ligue 1 campaign saw the 20-year-old make absolute meals of some of the Ligue 1 strikers he went up against. The 6’2” centre-back has long been touted as a prodigy, and he duly delivered, making a seamless jump from Ligue 2 to the top tier thanks to his physical presence, tactical awareness and, most of all, the technique he has inherited from his youth days as a midfielder.

Jacquet is very comfortable with the ball at his feet. He is capable of playing out from the back with composed, precise passes, whether that’s playing short, controlled passes or spraying the ball out to the wingers like Virgil van Dijk often does. The Rennes centre-back also reads attacking situations extremely well for a player of his age, a trait that is reminiscent of William Saliba.

Jacquet’s performances have been rewarded with a new Rennes deal, which runs until 2029. His 11 appearances in Ligue 1 were also enough for him to earn a spot in France’s U21 side for this summer’s European Championships.

Jacquet want to become ‘more of a presence’ at Rennes

As a young, but experienced, physically dominant ball-playing centre-back coming out of a club known for nurturing the potential stars of tomorrow, Jacquet logically attracts plenty of interest. Arsenal reportedly made initial contact to show their interest in the 20-year-old, but Jacquet humbly considers that his training days are not over yet, as he told L’Équipe in October.

“I needed to remain at Rennes, and the club’s project suited me. I have to be more of a presence in the locker room and on the pitch. The coach asks me to communicate more, to lead, to add a bit more aggression. I’m working on finding the right balance.”

It surely worked so far. Until his red card against PSG in December, Jacquet played every Ligue 1 game for Rennes in full this season, the ultimate show of confidence and proof he has made himself essential to Beye’s Les Rouge et Noir.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval