Given the unforgiving nature of his position, it’s no surprise there have been some mistakes.
Jacquet has made three errors leading to shots, with only seven players in the French top flight making more.
Describing his style of play to L’Equipe, via Ligue 1, Jacquet said: “I’m calm on the ball, maybe I can look a bit nonchalant – but I’m focused. What defines me is playing out well, breaking lines with the right pass.”
He was named in the Under-19 Euros team of the tournament in 2024 and has represented and captained France at youth level. That alone tells you about his leadership qualities.
And he was born in Bondy, the Paris commune where Kylian Mbappe and William Saliba come from.
Given the price tag, there will undoubtedly be a sense of expectation when Jacquet arrives. With Italian Giovanni Leoni also returning from an ACL injury in the summer, the Liverpool backline could look very different come the start of next season.
Liverpool have kept an eye on Jacquet, who held talks with Chelsea too, but their interest accelerated over the weekend with the player setting his heart on a move to Anfield.
The understanding is Jacquet was convinced by the Liverpool project, as opposed to Chelsea where the proposition was less attractive, given they have two other elite young defenders in the squad in Josh Acheampong and Mamadou Sarr.
As it stands, both Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate are out of contract at Liverpool this summer, while captain Van Dijk, 34, and Joe Gomez’s contracts expire in 2027.
A move now would not have been wise because it’s unlikely Jacquet would get in ahead of Van Dijk and Konate this season. At Rennes, who are pushing for a place in Europe, he will continue as a regular starter and benefit from getting more playing time in Ligue 1.
For Jacquet, the challenge between now and the summer is to prepare for life in the Premier League. He is by no means a finished product and Rennes’ 4-0 defeat at Monaco on Saturday showed the margins where he can improve, especially when it comes to decision-making when stepping out of the defensive line.
It is worth noting that two of the biggest recent transfers from Ligue 1 to the Premier League have found it challenging, with both Manchester United‘s Leny Yoro (£52m) and Manchester City‘s Abdukodir Khusanov (£34m) finding their respective early stints tough.
“It won’t be easy to step up from Ligue 1 to the Premier League at a club like Liverpool,” adds Laurens. “It wasn’t easy for Leny Yoro and it wasn’t easy for William Saliba at the beginning too, but Jacquet is so so talented.”