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Jacquet Is Not a Replacement — He’s a Signal

Liverpool agreeing a £55m deal, rising to £60m with add-ons, for Jérémy Jacquet should not be viewed through the narrow and tired lens of “who is he replacing?” This is not about Ibrahima Konaté. It is not a reaction to form, fitness, or uncertainty. It is preparation.

For too long, Liverpool recruitment has been judged solely on immediacy — plug a hole, fix a problem, react to an injury. This signing feels different. Strategic. Deliberate. Almost anticipatory by the Liverpool executives.

Jacquet is a world-class defensive prospect, explosive in his recovery pace, dominant in duels, and technically comfortable enough to step into midfield zones when required. That profile does not scream fourth-choice centre-back. It screams system evolution. It screams a club building towards something rather than scrambling to protect what it already has.

This winter, Liverpool quietly targeted youth at centre-back. Not desperation buys, but future starters. The Jacquet deal feels like the clearest indication yet that the transition away from Arne Slot’s 4-3-3 is no longer theoretical — it is actively being planned.

This is not about replacing Konaté, despite the dwindling contract. It is about creating an environment where Konaté commits, thrives, and becomes a pillar of the next era.

Preparing the Ground for Alonso’s Back Three

If — and increasingly when — Xabi Alonso arrives, Liverpool will not look like this current iteration. The 4-3-3 will give way to a 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 hybrid, demanding an entirely different defensive makeup. Wing-backs require protection as they provide offensive width. Wide centre-backs must be mobile, aggressive, and brave in possession. Depth is not a luxury — it is a structural necessity in this ferocious Premier League.

Five to six starting-calibre centre-backs will be required. Not squad fillers or mere backups. Not emergencies that play only in the odd League Cup game. Actual rotation-quality defenders capable of starting European knockout games and alleviating the stress on this group.

That context changes everything, something Arne Slot too often seems reluctant to do.

Virgil van Dijk is 34. He remains elite, but his role will evolve and so should the team around him. Joe Gomez is likely to move on, his versatility no longer aligning with the next phase. Jacquet, alongside Konaté and the returning Giovanni Leoni for pre-season, can offer brilliant support to their skipper which suddenly forms the spine of a defence built for the next five years, not the next five months.

This is why the Jacquet signing excites rather than alarms. It suggests clarity from Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes. It suggests alignment between recruitment and future management. It suggests Liverpool is finally building forward again looking to shut aggressive attacking opponents down.

My hope now is simple: Konaté commits his future. Because with Jacquet beside him, Leoni emerging, and Van Dijk transitioning into a guiding force, Liverpool is not replacing leaders — they are cultivating them.

This is not a reset, not even close.

It is the start of the next phase and I expect another left-sided variant to arrive in the summer to complete the new and imposing red wall.

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