FeatureJeremy Jacquet factfile: Aerial dominance, Van Dijk respect and LFC homework

The Frenchman joins the Reds from Stade Rennais in Ligue 1, following the agreement of a deal to sign him earlier this year.

Read on for key facts to know about him…

From role model to teammate… Jacquet will now be able to call a player he has long looked up to a colleague. The France youth international has frequently cited Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk as the centre-back he has studied most in the game while growing up. And now they are going to be sharing a dressing room as teammates, Jacquet intends to soak up everything he can from the Dutchman. “If I want to go as high as possible, I must immerse myself in him,” he declared.

A bold move… The defender’s journey from the youth ranks at Rennes to the Premier League with the Reds was one he accelerated himself. After a first appearance for Rennes in January 2024, Jacquet opted to spend the next 12 months on loan at fellow French outfit Clermont Foot to gain experience. That deal was cut short in the New Year of 2025 when his parent club decided they would actually prefer to benefit from his obvious talents themselves. “It was either stay at Rennes with little playing time or go and discover something new,” he told L’Equipe. “I chose minutes on the pitch – and it paid off.”

Starring at the U19 Euros… Jacquet had displayed his rich potential at the U19 European Championship in Northern Ireland in the summer of 2024. He was a starter for France as they produced a run to the final and finished runners-up to Spain, including a winning goal from the penalty spot in the group stage. Jacquet was named in the official Team of the Tournament.

Aerially dominant… In 19 Ligue 1 appearances during 2025-26, Jacquet registered the division’s third-best percentage for aerial duels won per 90 minutes – 75.5 per cent. He was also in the league’s top 20 and second-highest at Rennes for the same metric in ground duels (62 per cent). Opta data shows Jacquet recorded 4.9 clearances per 90 minutes and won possession on average 4.14 times per 90.

But a composed passer too… Opta’s statistics also highlight Jacquet’s efficient use of the ball – he was successful with 90.4 per cent of his passes (973 of 1,076) during the past Ligue 1 campaign. “I’m calm on the ball, maybe I can look a bit nonchalant – but I’m focused,” he detailed. “What defines me is playing out well, breaking lines with the right pass.”

He wasn’t always a defender… Perhaps that ability in possession is no surprise given Jacquet was a midfielder earlier in his career, inspired by French World Cup winner Paul Pogba: “I wanted to play like him.” It was Rennes’ scouts who thought differently and persuaded an initially reticent Jacquet that his future lay in the back line. “They were right,” he says now. “They knew better.”

A new Parisian centre-back… The recruitment of Jacquet to Liverpool continues a trend of a Paris-born central defender being part of the club’s squad in modern times. The first was Mamadou Sakho, who joined the Reds from Paris Saint-Germain in 2013. Next was the recently departed Ibrahima Konate, an arrival from RB Leipzig in 2021 who helped clinch the Premier League title in 2024-25, of course. Now, the baton is passed to Jacquet, who hails from the Bondy commune in Paris.

He has been doing his homework… During his first official interview as a Reds player, Jacquet revealed he has been brushing up on life at Liverpool and the history of the club. “I watched a lot of videos, especially the recent ones, especially on the club’s YouTube channel,” he explained. “I’m trying to see how things are going, the training sessions, the history of the club, even if I don’t know everything yet, but I’m going to get up to speed.”

Follow him on social media… Jeremy posts on Instagram under the username @j.jacquet97 if you would like to give him a follow.