Jeremy Jacquet Gives Liverpool Early Lift as Florian Wirtz Delivers Verdict

Richard Hughes has gone, and the debate around his final spell at Liverpool will continue. Fair enough. He could have done more in his last transfer window. That part is obvious. But the other part matters too, he left behind players who already look useful, and in some cases, very useful.

Victor Munoz, Bradley Barcola and Ronald Araujo have all shown enough to suggest Liverpool did decent business. The one drawing the sharpest early attention, though, is Jeremy Jacquet. Six appearances in, the French defender has settled next to Virgil van Dijk with minimal fuss. For a young centre-back arriving into that role, that is no small thing.

Jeremy Jacquet settles quickly at Liverpool

Jacquet has looked composed, clean in possession and reliable defensively. No drama, no overplaying, no panic. That is usually the first sign of a player who understands his job. Liverpool needed that.

There is now growing expectation that he will be named in Zinedine Zidane’s first France squad. With William Saliba recovering from injury, there is a genuine opening. On current evidence, Jacquet would not be there to make up the numbers.

Florian Wirtz reaction says plenty

Florian Wirtz appears to be convinced already. In a Liverpool five-a-side draft game with Jeremie Frimpong, both players were handed a £20m budget and asked to build teams by bidding on Liverpool players.

By the time the final round arrived, Frimpong had completed his side. Wirtz still needed one more player, and Jacquet dropped into his team for free. The reaction was instant. “Oh top, top,” says the No. 7, rubbing his hands together in satisfaction.

It was a throwaway moment, but useful all the same. Players know quality quickly. They train with it, they see it up close, and they tend not to fake enthusiasm when talking about team-mates in that setting.

Liverpool squad depth already looks healthier

Frimpong backed his own side strongly, claiming: “We’re killing him.” His team featured Van Dijk, Alexander Isak, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and himself. Wirtz replied, “No chance,” after adding Jacquet to a group containing Dominik Szoboszlai, Rio Ngumoha and Hugo Ekitike.

That exchange does not prove anything on its own. What it does show is that Jacquet’s reputation inside the Liverpool squad is building quickly. For a club trying to sharpen its options and raise standards, that matters. Early signs suggest this was one signing Hughes got right.