Andoni Iraola has been confirmed as the new Liverpool manager and he will be the person who decides when Jeremy Jacquet makes his long-awaited Premier League debut for the Reds
06:18, 05 Jun 2026
Andoni Iraola is now the manager of Liverpool
Andoni Iraola is now the manager of Liverpool(Image: Photo by Maynard Manyowa/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola will be the head coach who hands Jeremy Jacquet his Liverpool debut, having now been confirmed as the next man to take charge at Anfield.
The Spaniard arrives less than a week after Arne Slot was relieved of his duties, following a reign that delivered the Premier League title before a fifth-placed finish in the subsequent campaign. Attention will firmly be fixed on Iraola, who comes to Merseyside having steered Bournemouth into the Europa League for the first time in the Cherries' history.
The new Reds boss will now turn his attention to the summer transfer window, which promises to be a pivotal one, as well as overseeing Jacquet's first competitive outings for the club.
The young Frenchman was brought to Anfield during the January transfer window, though former manager Arne Slot never had the opportunity to see him pull on the famous red shirt.
As part of the conditions attached to his $80 million (£60 million) transfer, the central defender remained at Rennes for the remainder of the campaign. Barely a week after the deal was finalised, Jacquet suffered a shoulder injury requiring surgery, ruling him out for the entire season.
Liverpool supporters will be keen to see him in action when the new campaign gets under way. It will also be intriguing to observe how he settles under Iraola, given that the former Bournemouth manager had no involvement in bringing him to the club.
Jacquet was undoubtedly recruited with the future in mind, yet he could be poised for a pivotal role should Ibrahima Konaté depart the club as a free agent. Considerable attention will also be directed towards his new team-mate Giovanni Leoni.
The Italian was brought in last year and looked every inch the real deal in a League Cup home fixture against Southampton, before suffering a cruciate ligament tear late in the match. He failed to return to the pitch for the remainder of last season, but is steadily working his way back to full fitness.
Jeremy Jacquet of Rennes during the Ligue 1 McDonald's football match between Paris FC and Stade Rennais FC (Rennes) at Stade Jean Bouin on November 7, 2025 in Paris, France
Jeremy Jacquet will join up with Liverpool this summer(Image: 2025 Jean Catuffe)
It remains a possibility that Jacquet and Leoni could line up together under Iraola, who will be keen to deploy a high and aggressive defensive line. In an interview back in March, Jacquet spoke candidly about his excitement at pulling on the Liverpool shirt. "I know my potential," he said.
"I want to play my football and enjoy the moment. I'm going to follow my own path and I don't know how it will end.
"But, I think I'm off to a good start and I want to play as much as possible and prove myself on the pitch. I have no doubt that things will go well.
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"I'd been talking to [Liverpool] for a long time. It didn't happen in a week. The club's history weighed heavily on my decision, but so did the project they offered."