08/02/2026

Read

iPaper at Malaysian Paper

www.thesun.my Free access to iPaper PDF Download

SUNDAY | FEB 8, 2026 Liverpool snatched 20-year-old Rennes centreback Jacquet from under the noses of Chelsea on transfer deadline day and have acquired someone who should fit right in ? The next Van Dijk

app from the App Store or Google Play TM . Malaysian Paper or download

SCAN ME

SCAN ME

Malaysian Paper

Jacquet at Anfield signed a contract valid until June 2031, option until 2032 joining French outfit Rennes to Liverpool on Monday. – @FABRIZIOROM/IG

BY BEN MCALEER

Reds captain Virgil van Dijk.

CHELSEA agreed personal terms with Jeremy Jacquet during the recently-closed transfer window but the Blues failed to negotiate a fee with Rennes in their bid to land the 20-year-old. The French side were demanding a fig ure in excess of the £52 million (RM279m) they received from Manchester City for Jeremy Doku in 2023. It would take a club record offer to convince the Bretons to sell their prized asset at this stage of the sea son. Their dilly-dallying over a fee saw Rennes pull the plug on any possible January exit. The failure to close the deal with the Ligue 1 outfit has now seen Chelsea miss out on Jacquet entirely, with Liverpool stepping up to pinch the young ster from under their rival’s nose. It’s not the first time in recent months that the west London side have struggled to finalise a transfer. Tottenham swooped for Xavi Simons in August after Chelsea failed to agree a fee with RB Leipzig for the Dutchman. Liverpool have now duly secured Jacquet’s services, albeit with the transfer going through at the end of the season. Chelsea’s loss is very much Liverpool’s gain, even if the defending champions must wait until the summer to see him in a Reds shirt. It may not immediately help the Merseyside giants but it was vital they

(51.9%) is notable here. Jacquet already has the responsibility to instigate attacks from defence. It’s one he shoulders with ease. He already sees a lot of the ball, meaning he should fit well in this possession-heavy Liverpool side. Failure to sign Marc Guehi early in the summer came back to haunt the Reds as their 11th hour move for the Crystal Palace star fell through on deadline day in September. Guehi ultimately went on to sign for Manchester City in this window. The botched move for the England inter national left Arne Slot’s side short of a cen treback, even with the addition of Giovanni Leoni, who’d unfortunately suffer an ACL injury on his debut. Liverpool, though, learned their lesson, even if they had to do so the hard way. The early confirmation of Jacquet’s signing serves to highlight the seriousness in their efforts to strengthen defensively. And as question marks surround Konate’s Anfield future, fans can at least rest easy knowing one French centreback is coming in to, potentially, replace another. Jacquet’s style of play suits this Liverpool side and in learning from one of the best in Van Dijk, supporters can feel confident that they are signing a centre back who is destined for the top. – The Indepndent

he’s averaging 1.5 tackles per 90mins in Ligue 1 this season – Jacquet times his chal lenges to perfection when needs must. Of the 137 players to have attempted at least 25 tackles, the future Liverpool star boasts the best tackle success rate (92.9%) in France’s top tier. He’s been dribbled past just twice this season. Sound familiar, Liverpool fans? Additionally, Jacquet is more than capa ble of stepping out from defence in order to pre-emptively nullify attacking threats, evi dent in that he is making one interception per 90. The commendable reading of the game belies his tender years. What’s key, too, is that Jacquet knows exactly what to do when he does snuff out threats, helping to quickly turn defence into attack. Of all outfield players, Jacquet ranks 12th for forward passes (362 in Ligue 1 this season). In total, 34.7% of his passes go for ward, which is lower than Van Dijk (37.7%) but higher than Konate (%). In terms of overall distribution, he should slot in well at Anfield. While Jacquet does make fewer passes per 90 (58.6) than the current Reds pair, his pass success rate (90.5%) is better than the duo. Even so, the number of passes per 90 is only slightly lower than Konate (64.4). That Rennes have a far lower possession return

future-proofed their backline given Virgil van Dijk’s advancing years and Ibrahima Konate’s ongoing contract impasse. Jacquet’s Anfield switch later this year allows for the centreback to develop along side one of the two defenders he idolises. “As a defender, I really like Van Dijk, and more recently (Ibrahima) Konate,” he told L’Equipe in October. In truth, the for mer especially is the perfect mentor for the Frenchman as he seeks to take the next step in his career. Standing at 6ft 2in (1.88m), Jacquet util ises his height to his advantage. Indeed, he’s winning 2.1 aerial duels per 90 min utes and boasts an impressive 75.5% suc cess rate. For comparison’s sake, Van Dijk is win ning 77.3% and Konate 73.3% of their respective headed battles in England’s top tier this term. This aerial prowess stands Jacquet in good stead. Considering Liverpool’s domi nance in the Premier League – the Reds have the highest possession return (61.5%) in the 2025/26 campaign – opponents have a penchant for implementing a more direct approach in order to catch the defending champions out. With a gangly frame to boot, Jacquet uses his long legs to good effect in order to limit teams. While he doesn’t regularly get stuck in –

theSun is published and printed by Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd (221220-K) of Lot 6, Jalan 51/217, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 03-7784 6688 • Tel (Editorial): 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7785 2625 Email: newsdesk@thesundaily.com • Tel (Advertising): 03-7784 8888 Email: advertise@thesundaily.com