We unpacked the numbers behind Jeremy Jacquet's rise at Stade Rennais after Liverpool agreed a deal to see the French defender arrive in the summer
Jeremy Jacquet of Stade Rennais
Jeremy Jacquet of Stade Rennais(Image: Neal Simpson/Allstar/Getty Images)
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Jeremy Jacquet only made his senior debut a little over two years ago, but a rise to stardom at the heart of Stade Rennais' backline has seen Liverpool agree a £60 million deal (£55 million plus up to £5 million in add-ons) for the 20-year-old French centre-back.
The Reds appear to have won the race for the French U21 international ahead of Chelsea, who publicly pursued the defender over the course of the January transfer window.
Subject to club confirmation, reliable reports have revealed that Jacquet will join up with his new teammates in the summer. Barring a late call-up to the France World Cup squad, Jacquet will be available from the first day of pre-season as he acclimatises to his new surroundings.
A product of the renowned Rennes academy, Jacquet followed in the footsteps of such stars as Eduardo Camavinga, Desire Doue and current Ballon d'Or holder Ousmane Dembele when he made his first foray into the senior game with the Breton club back in January 2024, at the age of just 18.
Loaned out shortly thereafter, Jacquet played six further games for Clermont Foot that season, before extending his stay for another season as Clermont dropped down to Ligue 2.
But Jacquet was recalled by Rennes in February 2025, having made himself a mainstay for the second-division side. He never looked back, playing virtually every minute he was available for in Ligue 1 after his recall.
This season, Jacquet has clocked up a further 19 appearances, attracting the gaze of Liverpool along with Chelsea and Bayern Munich, who were also noted as holding an interest in the player.
Here, we'll explore how Liverpool's new centre-back stacks up compared to the Reds' current crop of options and others considered among the best in his position.
Jacquet vs generational peers
To start with, we used data from Fotmob to compare Jacquet to other centre-backs in his age group that have either been linked with Liverpool or are considered among the most promising in the position.
Dean Huijsen (20) was mooted as a signing for Liverpool heading into last summer before making a €62.5 million (£54.1 million) move to Real Madrid, while Manchester United's Leny Yoro was pursued before joining the Old Trafford side in 2024.
22-year-old Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande's name has appeared next to Liverpool's in many a gossip column, while 19-year-old Pau Cubarsi is already a mainstay at the heart of Barcelona's defence.
The first thing that jumps out (no pun intended) from these statistics is Jacquet's prowess in the air. Winning 75% of his aerial duels, Jacquet is head and shoulders (again, no pun intended) above his generational peers, already operating at an elite level.
Standing at 6'2", Jacquet is no giant in centre-back terms, but his ability to deal with crosses and long balls and to attack set pieces will be a real asset in an increasingly physical Premier League.
With a 67.2% success rate in duels overall, Jacquet is more reliable at winning back contested balls than most, figures which are certainly aided by his impressive recovery pace.
0.84 shots blocked per 90 indicates a player willing to put his body on the line, but it must also be taken into account that Jacquet currently plays in a team less dominant in their respective league than the others listed here - possibly Yoro aside.
Jacquet also noticeably performs better than his generational peers in terms of successful dribbles against per 90. At 0.11, Jacquet is only getting dribbled past roughly once every 10 games - twice all season so far.
These are numbers that should get fans excited - it's hard to forget the extended run of games in which Virgil van Dijk was never dribbled past after joining the club - but it should also be remembered that Jacquet usually plays in the centre of a back three, thereby being exposed less often to mazy runs from wingers.
Still, for a player who has played on the right of the three and as a right-back in a back four this season, this is an impressive statistic. Refusing to be drawn into situations where an opponent can go past him is indicative of the calmness that allows Jacquet to also be a composed presence on the ball.
Jacquet is no stranger to a van Dijk-esque diagonal switch, reflected in his chance creation numbers - 0.5 per game is extremely high for a central defender.
Only Huijsen edges the Frenchman out in this respect, but Jacquet has the higher percentage of passes completed overall at 90.5%. What we are seeing is a modern centre-half, comfortable on the ball and capable of dominating his personal battles.
Attacking threat and discipline vs other elite defenders
A chart populated with FBref data to compare the performance of Jeremy Jacquet to generational peers and elite operators at his age in his position.
Jeremy Jacquet's attacking threat and disciplinary numbers compared to elite defenders at his age and generational peers. Data from FBref.
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For purpose of comparison, we used FBref data to see how Jacquet stacks up next to defenders in the previous chart as well as current top-level Premier League centre-backs at his age for attacking threat and discipline.
We went for Ibrahima Konate's 2018-19 season, as Ibou missed a large part of the 2019-20 season with injury at RB Leipzig.
While a young player can often be more reckless, Jacquet is not a particularly aggressive defender, so his 0.34 yellow cards per 90 could be an early cause for concern.
This puts him clear of the next most likely to be booked in Ibou, who was a year younger at the time these statistics were gathered. Picking up two yellow cards against PSG showed work is needed in this area, but decision-making in these moments is only likely to improve with experience.
It's worth noting that Jacquet is currently making fewer fouls per 90 than Diomande was last season or Konate did in the 2018-19 season, but is picking up a higher rate of yellow cards.
This could indicate Rennes are relying heavily on Jacquet to break up counter-attacks, when a player is more likely to be booked, or it could simply be a case of not quite having developed the knack of "getting away with it".
Jacquet's interceptions (1.18 per 90) and tackles won (0.96 per 90) indicate a less front-footed type of defender compared to Konate, for example, but these metrics have limited use for comparing defenders head-to-head - for the abovementioned reason that these sorts of figures are heavily influenced by team performance and tactical setup.
One pleasing takeaway from this graphic, however, is the number of fouls Jacquet draws per 90 (0.96). Marc Guehi (1.41) was a clear outlier for drawing fouls from an early age, using his agility and control of the ball to avoid losing the ball to opponents.
But Jacquet compares well to a young Ibou (also 0.96) in this respect, who can frequently get his body between an attacker and the ball to draw a foul and relieve the pressure.
Jacquet's shots (0.62 per 90), and shooting accuracy (27.3%), also stand out a mile among other centre-backs his age. Dean Huijsen (1.21 shots per 90) of course plays for Real Madrid, who with their attacking talent force more attacking set pieces than a side like Rennes.
Jacquet is yet to score this season for Rennes, but these numbers demonstrate the threat he poses from set pieces. The 20-year-old isn't shy of a shot from outside the box, either.
Jacquet vs Liverpool's current crop
Needless to say, we didn't include Giovani Leoni in these graphics for the main reason that the young Italian has only played one game for Liverpool so far. Joe Gomez, meanwhile, misses out having played a large proportion of his games this season in other positions - mainly right-back.
In the chart above, using FBref data, Jacquet again profiles extremely similarly to Konate. The main change from Konate's earlier numbers is his improvement in avoiding the concession of fouls - a trajectory Jacquet must strive to replicate.
Jacquet's shots per 90 (0.62) closely mirror van Dijk's (0.63), with the pair acting as the main aerial set piece threat for their respective clubs.
This second chart, populated with data from Fotmob, should get Liverpool fans excited.
It makes sense that Jacquet appears in the data like something of a hybrid between van Dijk and Konate, with both being players he has named as defensive role models.
His passing and chance creation numbers are reminiscent of the talismanic Dutchman, with the potential to become even more of a threat from deep should he improve these figures further.
Jacquet's chance creation numbers are boosted by his ability to win flick-ons from set pieces, too.
At just 20, Jacquet is putting up better aerial numbers than Konate, and is not far behind on duels overall. His duel numbers again reflect a player who is dominant in his current league, and it will be hoped that he will quickly be able to reproduce these in the far more physical surroundings of the Premier League.
The eye test
Watching a footballer play is an important part of assessing their performance - obviously - but this applies even more so to defenders, whose statistics can so often be distorted by game state, tactics and team performance.
I can't pretend to have seen a lot of Jacquet on the pitch for Rennes, so there's only so much I could really feel comfortable highlighting.
In my defence, he's only played regularly for them for about a year - but there are several things that immediately stand out, things you can even pick up on just from the many YouTube compilations available that show him in action.
Jacquet is a bit gangly compared to Premier League defenders, but he uses his frame to his advantage. With long legs, Jacquet has a huge stride and has a knack for nicking the ball off of attackers' toes in a way that isn't entirely unlike former Red Fabinho and his 'Inspector Gadget legs'.
This makes him useful for Rennes both in last-ditch tackling but also on the occasions he does step out to win the ball earlier in the attack.
It's worth remembering, too, that Konate arrived at Liverpool a much lankier figure than he is now. With time, and a personalised training plan, Jacquet should be able to beef up to make himself more suited to the Premier League, and the advantage of doing a summer deal early for the Frenchman is that he now has more time to get himself prepared ahead of pre-season.
The fact that Jacquet played in midfield while in Rennes' youth ranks, idolising Paul Pogba, will come as no surprise to those who have seen him glide past opponents on the ball.
He isn't shy of a chop and a feint to evade the press, and is fond of a surge into midfield, dragging the ball up the pitch much like Joel Matip once did with distinction for Liverpool.
Ultimately, watching Jacquet on the ball confirms what the data shows - he is a classy operator with the tools in his locker to become a complete centre-half for Liverpool.
It would be reckless to compare him too much to van Dijk at this stage of his career. Jacquet's style of play is probably closer to his compatriot Konate at this stage, and he has most likely been brought in with one eye on the latter's contract steadily ticking down towards the summer.
But with the right advice, learning from the best, Jeremy Jacquet certainly fits the profile of a player who should become a mainstay of Liverpool's rearguard for years to come.