Inside Liverpool’s $82M move for Jeremy Jacquet as clear pathway emerges

Liverpool opted against signing Marc Guehi and instead committed to pay double the fee for Jacquet in a window that underlines the club's prevailing transfer policy

Inside Liverpool's move for Jeremy Jacquet(Image: Getty Images)

It was last weekend when Liverpool made its decisive move. The Reds had monitored Jeremy Jacquet throughout the window, but once it became clear that a summer move - not a January departure - was likely, the club acted swiftly

Chelsea had been negotiating throughout the window, but Jacquet was ultimately swayed by Liverpool’s proposal. A transfer worth up to £60 million ($82M) was agreed, and Jacquet will officially become a Red next summer.

Evidently, he wants to end on good terms at Rennes, his current employer and the club that has provided the launch pad for what could be a stellar career. Jacquet said as much in a statement released after the transfer was announced.

“It was also very important for me to finish my time in red and black on a high, at my boyhood club, the club of my heart,” he said, with Rennes locked in a battle for a European spot. He could even face the club next season.

It could have been different, however, if Chelsea had managed to convince the youngster of the merits of a Stamford Bridge move. Reports suggest Jacquet was concerned by the number of center-backs already at the club - an understandable worry given the Blues’ penchant for stockpiling players.

Liverpool's offer was free of such concerns. He will likely be one of four, at most five, center-backs on the club’s books, and there is a clear pathway into the first team. Indeed, some view his acquisition as the final addition to what could be Liverpool’s defense for the next decade.

Giovanni Leoni joined last summer under similar circumstances, while Milos Kerkez and Conor Bradley are already regulars for Arne Slot.

Jacquet is set to become a Liverpool player next summer(Image: Neal Simpson/AllStar)

Targeting a youthful protege was at the heart of Liverpool’s recruitment policy last summer and in January. Over those windows, the average age of the club’s signings has been under 22.

It’s a policy not all agree with, especially given Liverpool could have procured Marc Guehi for half the price this month, although his wage demands were significantly higher. Opting instead for Jacquet may, on the surface, make little sense, especially given it does not address the Reds’ current defensive deficiencies. But the transfer makes financial sense for FSG and Richard Hughes.

It was the latter who oversaw and drove Liverpool’s signing of Jacquet. Whatever the benefits or drawbacks of the club’s January policy, Hughes’ proactive dealings should be commended.

Liverpool’s sporting director has already given himself a head start on next summer’s business. Those with a grasp on Liverpool’s transfer dealings have felt for months that center-back recruitment would be the dominant theme of the upcoming window. Hughes’ actions in recent days mean that may not be the case, even if Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez move on.

Some view Jacquet as the long-term heir to Konate(Image: Getty Images)

That is by no means guaranteed, and Liverpool will be reluctant to allow 16 years’ experience at Anfield to be removed from the heart of defense in one summer.

After all, one flaw with Liverpool’s preference for recruiting youngsters is that a period of adaptation will inevitably be required. That was certainly the case last summer, and only in recent weeks have supporters truly seen the benefits of that expensive outlay.

While Liverpool expects players to make an impact in the short, medium and long term, there is an acceptance that additions of Jacquet’s profile may not make an immediate impact.

External factors will also determine that, but Liverpool is confident that, whatever short-term hurdles it must vault, it has secured one of the most promising talents in world soccer - justifying its rigid recruitment policy.