Jeremy Jacquet has emerged as a potential target for Liverpoolplaceholder image
Jeremy Jacquet has emerged as a potential target for Liverpool | AFP via Getty Images
Chelsea are on the lookout for a new centre-half, but they should move on from Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet.
Chelsea have started to show signs of life under Liam Rosenior as the new manager gets to grip with the squad that he inherited.
Up to fifth and just a point behind Man United in fourth, the Blues are well and truly in the hunt for an automatic Champions League place. Youngster Yisa Alao has arrived from Sheffield Wednesday on a contract until 2028, however, it is players who could strengthen the starting XI, especially the defence, who are needed to help pull away from the chasing pack and to find consistency.
Chelsea should move on from Jeremy Jacquet
The French side are reported to be looking for between £50-55m for the 20-year old powerhouse defender. If Rosenior is to oversee a period of sustained success, the BlueCo approach needs to change. Signing younger players is fine, but what is the point of stock piling them when only Premier League clubs can afford to buy them. There is a reason why they have the biggest squad in the country.
Less is more. Quality not quantity. If Chelsea are to spend big on a centre-half of a certain age, they should be looking south, but to the west of France and Sporting Lisbon.
Continuously linked with a move to the Premier League Ousmane Diomande is a towering presence at the heart of defence and is developing a reputation as one of the best young defenders in Europe having attracted Arsenal’s attention last summer.
He is two to three years ahead of Jacquet in terms of game time and is better suited to the physical nature of the English game. His release clause of around £69m is more than what Rennes want for Jacquet, but a couple of departures could easily cover this cost.
Diomande signs new deal at Sporting
Contracts are signed for a variety of reasons, but Diomande has just put pen to paper on a new deal to represent what he is worth to Sporting.
They can’t demand over £60m for a player but pay him as a £10m one. Speaking as the ink dried on the fresh contract, the giant 22-year old said, via the Portuguese outfit’s media team: "I'm very happy. Sporting CP are a truly great club, not only in Portugal but worldwide. There are good people at the club, I feel at home here, and that's why I felt it was the right decision. It was great to hear everything they said about me. It gives me motivation and more strength for the upcoming games. They were very nice. I'm very happy to be here.
"I think last season, when we won the back-to-back titles, was a very special moment for all Sporting CP fans. Time flies, but that's how our life as a football player is. When you play so many games you don't even realise how time passes. I'm very happy to be here, I enjoy every game and every training session with my teammates and I hope to continue like this.
“I feel I've grown a lot, but also that I still have a lot to improve. I will continue learning to become an even better player. I am only thinking about playing and proving my worth.
"From the coach to the players and staff, everyone helps. It's easy, as a player, to achieve good performances when you have people like that around you. Everything becomes easier. Just like the Sporting CP fans, we want to be champions again. We will fight hard and give everything until the end of the season.”
It is an often missed quality, being used to winning. Diomande is used to the pressure of having to win every game and competing for trophies. At just 22, he would cost a lot of money, but he could also be Chelsea’s centre-half for the next 10 years.
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