Liverpool fans have been frustrated by their team's performances this season, with Arne Slot's side so far removed from the effective and electrifying outfit of 2024/25.
The Premier League champions will not retain their belt. For that to happen would require an unprecedented turnaround over the business months.
More importantly, though, Liverpool have been dwarfed by the intensity and energy and efficiency of their rivals. That is the crux of their problems, and far more significant than any numerical disadvantage the Reds have in a title race they are not competing in.
This is a battle for top four, and Slot's side are not showing they have the form and fluency to beat the competition in that race. FSG must surely realise that the January transfer window must be utilised, especially with Liverpool shorn of their defensive depth.
Liverpool looking to sign centre-back
Both Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez will miss Liverpool's Champions League tie against Qarabag on Wednesday evening. Neither will be absent for long, but it highlights the dearth of defensive depth threatening to destroy the club's campaign.
Konate-Liverpool
Liverpool have already missed out on Marc Guehi this month. The Crystal Palace captain signed for Manchester City. FSG opted against pushing for the man they nearly signed last summer, deeming the financial package prohibitive. Given Guehi is taking home around £300k per week at the Etihad, this is understandable, especially when considering agent fees and signing-on outlays.
It's a setback, but Liverpool have been set back before. Guehi is not the only talented defender knocking about.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have reoriented their focus onto Rennes talent Jeremy Jacquet, who is at the centre of a three-way battle between the Anfield side, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
Stade Rennes' Jeremy Jacquet and Adrien Truffert
Chelsea appear to be the only side interested in snapping the Frenchman up this month, but Rennes' £60m asking price could push all the interest back until the summer.
Even so, Romano confirms that Liverpool are "in active talks" for the 20-year-old, and if Chelsea are serious about signing him this month, it might be worth lodging an offer.
Why Jacquet could star for Liverpool
Jacquet is young but he's also strong, a "monster" in the words of scout Antonio Mango, having established himself as a mainstay in a Rennes team looking to better last year's sixth-place finish in Ligue 1.
Jacquet
He might not have been Liverpool's first-choice option to strengthen the rearguard, but the same could be said for someone like Hugo Ekitike, who joined the Merseysiders from Eintracht Frankfurt in a £79m deal last summer.
Ekitike, 23, was the alternative to Alexander Isak at number nine, who was barred from moving to Liverpool by Newcastle United (or so it seemed). Still, he wasn't deemed the number one, and yet he's far outstripping the world-class Swede, even before his leg-breaking injury in December.
In this way, the up-and-coming Jacquet could emulate his countryman, having already been hailed by analyst Ben Mattinson as having "top-five centre-back in the world potential".
Already on a level with Guehi, Liverpool cannot allow this one to pass them by, and there's a compelling case to be made that Slot cannot wait until the summer to integrate the France talent into his ranks.
Guehi vs Jacquet - League Comparison 25/26
Stats (* per 90)
Matches (starts)
Goals + Assists
Clean sheets
Touches*
Accurate passes*
Chances created*
Ball recoveries*
Tackles + interceptions*
Clearances*
Duels won*
Data via Sofascore
Positionally, Ekitike and Jacquet are on different ends of the spectrum, but they do share similarities that could see Jacquet make an emphatic impact on Merseyside.
This is a player who is only going to improve over the coming years, and he's already good enough to thrive as a centrepiece in Slot's system - just like Ekitike.
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