Jeremy Jacquet has quickly vindicated Liverpool's decision to invest £60m in his signature over the summer, capping another commanding performance in Sunday's victory over Brighton. The 21-year-old French centre-back celebrated the Reds' fourth clean sheet of the Premier League campaign by sharing images on Instagram alongside the lyric, "Trust in the process, trust in the plan." Watching from the stands at Anfield, Liverpool great Alan Hansen would have appreciated the ease and authority with which the defender continues to perform, having settled into the club at a speed that has pleasantly surprised senior figures.
The pathway to Merseyside was paved when Liverpool's pursuit of Leny Yoro in 2024 alerted them to Jacquet at Rennes, before Yoro ultimately headed to Manchester United from Lille. Having also missed out on Marc Guehi, former sporting director Richard Hughes was willing to wait until the summer after Rennes rejected a January sale, even with Chelsea showing significant interest. Arriving with only 36 Ligue 1 matches to his name and following a year disrupted by a broken shoulder in February and a summer knee problem, Jacquet quickly stepped in alongside Virgil van Dijk due to Ibrahima Konate's move to Real Madrid and injuries to Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni.
Since scoring on his Anfield debut in a pre-season clash with Como, the Bondy-born youngster has started every match in the Premier League and Champions League. He has accumulated 956 minutes of action this term—more than any Liverpool outfield player and behind only goalkeeper Alisson's 990. Jacquet leads his teammates with 19 tackles and sits fourth across the entire Premier League in both interceptions (15) and blocks (10). His impressive performances—standing firm against Brentford's Igor Thiago after an earlier test against Manchester City's Erling Haaland—also brought a senior France debut under Zinedine Zidane, who praised the defender as "brave" and "very good in the duels" following a recent outing against Italy.
Jacquet's transition off the pitch has been equally seamless as he studies English alongside Ronald Araujo, Bradley Barcola, and Victor Munoz, while spending time with fellow youngsters Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni. The 35-year-old Van Dijk, the only defender in club history to cost more than Jacquet, highlighted that their partnership is "getting better every day" through matches, training sessions, and communication. With Xabi Alonso and Chelsea set to visit Anfield in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, Jacquet continues to reinforce his standing as an indispensable figure in Liverpool's back line.