Liverpool Transfer Early for Jeremy Jacquet
Liverpool’s settlement with Rennes for Jeremy Jacquet seems like a choice formed as a lot by endurance as by ambition. As reported by David Ornstein of , the membership have secured a summer season deal for the 20 12 months outdated defender, valued at £55million plus £5m in add ons, with private phrases “not set to be a problem”. It’s a transfer that speaks quietly however confidently about path.
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Liverpool, crucially, imagine they’re “in a powerful place if Jacquet doesn’t transfer through the January window”. That confidence issues. This isn’t a reactive buy pushed by panic or brief time period absence. It’s a calculated wager on growth, upside, and timing.
Lengthy Time period Planning Over Brief Time period Fixes
Final summer season’s failed pursuit of Marc Guehi, when a £35million deal from Crystal Palace collapsed, looms within the background. Guehi’s subsequent transfer to Manchester Metropolis this January underlines how aggressive the market has turn into. Liverpool’s response has been to regulate the lens somewhat than widen the web.
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“Liverpool view Jacquet, 20 as being a extra helpful long-term acquisition than Guehi of their mannequin.” That line from Ornstein is revealing. That is about trajectory somewhat than readiness, about who a participant may turn into somewhat than who he already is.
Jacquet’s Rise at Rennes
Jacquet’s progress has been steep and convincing. He has “began in every of Rennes’ Ligue 1 matches for which he has been out there this season” and “had performed each minute earlier than his pink card in opposition to Paris Saint-Germain on December 6”. That degree of belief, at his age, carries weight.
His growth path, together with a formidable mortgage at Clermont Foot and sustained performances since breaking into Rennes’ first staff within the second half of the 2024-25 marketing campaign, explains why he has been tracked so carefully. Arsenal’s lengthy standing curiosity, reported by The Athletic in August, reinforces that sense of shared conviction throughout elite golf equipment.
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Squad Context and Defensive Wants
Liverpool’s defensive depth has been examined. Accidents to Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni have uncovered a thinness behind Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk, whereas Konate’s contract scenario provides a layer of uncertainty. In opposition to that backdrop, Jacquet feels much less like a luxurious and extra like foresight.
He joins a cohort signed with tomorrow in thoughts. Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, and Alexander Isak symbolize a generational shift. Jacquet, “thought-about an enormous piece on this”, matches neatly into that evolving image.
Our View – Anfield Index Evaluation
From a Liverpool supporter’s perspective, this deal feels quietly reassuring. There isn’t a deadline day drama right here. As an alternative, it appears like a membership backing its personal mannequin and trusting its judgement even when rivals like Chelsea are circling.
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Jacquet’s age is essential. At 20, he gives flexibility. He could be eased in, developed alongside Van Dijk, and probably develop right into a cornerstone somewhat than being requested to plug a spot instantly. For followers who’ve watched Liverpool repeatedly arrive late to sure markets, transferring early for a participant with this profile seems like progress.
There may be additionally an acceptance that the again line is coming into a interval of transition. Van Dijk is not going to anchor the defence perpetually, and Konate’s contract scenario provides uncertainty. Bringing in a France youth worldwide who has already proven sturdiness and composure in Ligue 1 suggests planning somewhat than hope.
Some supporters might query the price, £55million plus add ons is important for a defender nonetheless studying his commerce. However worth is contextual. If Liverpool genuinely imagine, as Ornstein studies, that Jacquet is a “extra helpful long-term acquisition”, then that is about avoiding future remorse somewhat than current warning.