The next Virgil van Dijk? What Liverpool can expect from new signing Jeremy Jacquet | OneFootball

Chelsea agreed personal terms with Jeremy Jacquet during the recently-closed transfer window but the Blues failed to negotiate a fee with Rennes in their bid to land the 20-year-old. The French side were demanding a figure in excess of the £52m they received from Manchester City for Jeremy Doku in 2023. It would take a club-record offer to convince the Bretons to sell their prized asset at this stage of the season.

Their dilly-dallying over a fee saw Rennes pull the plug on any possible January exit. The failure to close the deal with the Ligue 1 outfit has now seen Chelsea miss out on Jacquet entirely, with Liverpool stepping up to pinch the youngster from under their rival’s nose.

It’s not the first time in recent months that the west London side have struggled to finalise a transfer. Tottenham swooped for Xavi Simons in August after Chelsea failed to agree a fee with RB Leipzig for the Dutchman. Liverpool have now duly secured Jacquet’s services, albeit with the transfer going through at the end of the season.

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Jeremy Jacquet (right) has shone for Rennes this season (AFP via Getty Images)

Chelsea’s loss is very much Liverpool’s gain, even if the defending champions must wait until the summer to see him in a Reds shirt. It may not immediately help the Merseyside giants but it was vital they future-proofed their backline given Virgil van Dijk’s advancing years and Ibrahima Konate’s ongoing contract impasse.

Jacquet’s Anfield switch later this year allows for the centre-back to develop alongside one of the two defenders he idolises. “As a defender, I really like (Virgil) Van Dijk, and more recently (Ibrahima) Konate,” he told L’Equipe in October. In truth, the former especially is the perfect mentor for the Frenchman as he seeks to take the next step in his career.

Standing at 6ft2in, Jacquet utilises his height to his advantage. Indeed, he’s winning 2.1 aerial duels per 90 minutes and boasts an impressive 75.5 per cent success rate. For comparison’s sake, Van Dijk is winning 77.3 per cent and Konate 73.3 per cent of their respective headed battles in England’s top tier this term.

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Jacquet (left) will learn from Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool (AFP/Getty)

This aerial prowess stands Jacquet in good stead. Considering Liverpool’s dominance in the Premier League – the Reds have the highest possession return (61.5 per cent) in the 2025/26 campaign – opponents have a penchant for implementing a more direct approach in order to catch the defending champions out.

With a gangly frame to boot, Jacquet uses his long legs to good effect in order to limit teams. While he doesn’t regularly get stuck in – he’s averaging 1.5 tackles per 90mins in Ligue 1 this season – Jacquet times his challenges to perfection when needs must. Of the 137 players to have attempted at least 25 tackles, the future Liverpool star boasts the best tackle success rate (92.9 per cent) in France’s top tier. He’s been dribbled past just twice this season. Sound familiar, Liverpool fans?

Additionally, Jacquet is more than capable of stepping out from defence in order to pre-emptively nullify attacking threats, evident in that he is making one interception per 90. The commendable reading of the game belies his tender years. What’s key, too, is that Jacquet knows exactly what to do when he does snuff out threats, helping to quickly turn defence into attack.

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Jacquet (centre, in red) should fit right in at Anfield (AFP/Getty)

Of all outfield players, Jacquet ranks 12th for forward passes (362 in Ligue 1 this season). In total, 34.7 per cent of his passes go forward, which is lower than Van Dijk (37.7 per cent) but higher than Konate (33.5 per cent). In terms of overall distribution, he should slot in well at Anfield. While Jacquet does make fewer passes per 90 (58.6) than the current Reds pair, his pass success rate (90.5 per cent) is better than the duo.

Even so, the number of passes per 90 is only slightly lower than Konate (64.4). That Rennes have a far lower possession return (51.9 per cent) is notable here. Jacquet already has the responsibility to instigate attacks from defence. It’s one he shoulders with ease. He already sees a lot of the ball, meaning he should fit well in this possession-heavy Liverpool side.

Failure to sign Marc Guehi early in the summer came back to haunt the Reds as their 11th hour move for the Crystal Palace star fell through on deadline day in September. Guehi ultimately went on to sign for Manchester City in this window. The botched move for the England international left Arne Slot’s side short of a centre-back, even with the addition of Giovanni Leoni, who’d unfortunately suffer an ACL injury on his debut.

Liverpool, though, learned their lesson, even if they had to do so the hard way. The early confirmation of Jacquet’s signing serves to highlight the seriousness in their efforts to strengthen defensively. And as question marks surround Konate’s Anfield future, fans can at least rest easy knowing one French centre-back is coming in to, potentially, replace another.

Jacquet’s style of play suits this Liverpool side and in learning from one of the best in Van Dijk, supporters can feel confident that they are signing a centre-back who is destined for the top.