Jacquet’s rise at centre back is turning summer doubts into optimism
Jeremy Jacquet’s first senior start for France gave Liverpool supporters another reason to feel good about a transfer that looked like a gamble just a few months ago. In Monday’s 1-0 Nations League win over Belgium, the 21-year-old was composed and unfussy all night, exactly the kind of performance that makes an eye-catching fee look shrewd rather than reckless.
It was only one match, and Belgium are still rebuilding after their World Cup quarter final exit, so nobody should get carried away. But the underlying numbers backed up the eye test. Jacquet played the full 90 minutes, completed 67 of 73 passes, made seven defensive contributions and racked up 10 progressive actions. For a player three months into English football, that is a genuinely encouraging line.
Why the summer looked like a risk
When Ibrahima Konate left for Real Madrid on a free transfer, having previously said he and Liverpool were close to a new deal, the club’s response was to commit around £60m to a 21-year-old arriving from Rennes rather than bring in a ready-made replacement. At the time, that felt like a downgrade in experience. Virgil van Dijk was already 35, Joe Gomez has never been the most reliable in terms of fitness, Jacquet himself soon picked up an injury after arriving, and Giovanni Leoni was still working his way back from a long-term problem of his own.
There was depth on paper. There was very little certainty about who Liverpool could actually count on week to week.
Where things stand at Anfield now
That anxiety has eased considerably. Jacquet is settling in well alongside Van Dijk, Ronald Araujo has arrived on loan to add further cover, and Leoni’s return is edging closer by the week. A back line that looked threadbare in August now resembles one of the more balanced central defensive groups in the Premier League, with genuine competition for places rather than makeshift stand-ins.
Real Madrid’s side of the deal looks shakier
Across in Madrid, the early signs have been less convincing. Konate has been sidelined with a leg injury, and reports suggest his form before that setback was patchy too, including a tricky outing against Elche. It is far too early to write off a defender of his pedigree, and both players deserve time to settle into new surroundings. But on the evidence so far, Liverpool do not look like they came out of that swap short-changed.
What it means going forward
For Andoni Iraola, this is exactly the kind of depth a title-chasing squad needs. A fit-again Leoni, an experienced loanee in Araujo, a mentor in Van Dijk and a highly-rated young defender already delivering at international level gives Liverpool options that simply were not there in August. Jacquet will face far sterner tests than an under-strength Belgium side before anyone can call this deal a bargain with total confidence. Still, on the evidence gathered so far, the calculated risk Liverpool took in the summer is starting to look like good business.