What shirt number could Jeremy Jacquet wear at Liverpool?
Liverpool supporters finally have something tangible to pin their excitement on after the club confirmed the £60m signing of Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes. Jacquet will remain in Ligue 1 for the rest of the campaign before reporting to Arne Slot for pre season ahead of the 2026-27 season.
At just 20, Jacquet arrives with the sort of reputation that gets recruitment departments twitching. Calm in possession, assertive in duels and unusually mature for his age, he looks tailor made for a Liverpool side that under Slot has leaned even harder into front foot football. Yet while the tactical fit is already being debated, fans are also asking a simpler, more symbolic question, what number will he wear?
Jeremy Jacquet number history offers early clues
At Rennes, Jacquet currently wears 97, a number that tells you plenty about his rapid rise from academy prospect to headline signing. The Premier League allows squad numbers from 1 to 99, but very few defenders choose to keep such a high digit once they arrive in England. It tends to mark you out as temporary, and Jacquet has not been bought for that.
There is precedent for him to go lower. During a loan spell at Clermont last season he briefly wore 13, which immediately puts that number into contention. Liverpool have not had many outfield players in 13, the last notable one being Anthony Le Tallec, but the superstition surrounding it has never bothered continental players.
Liverpool squad numbers open for business
Right now, numbers 1 to 12 are locked up, and number 20 has been retired permanently in memory of Diogo Jota. That leaves 13, 16, 19, 21, 23, 24, 27 and 29 as the lowest available options, according to Transfermarkt.
For a young centre back, 16 or 19 might look more natural, but there is something about 13 that already feels like a soft landing for Jacquet. He has worn it before, he knows what it represents, and it avoids any awkward reshuffling within the squad.
Liverpool contract situations could reshape shirt pecking order
Of course, things rarely stay neat for long at Anfield. Ibrahima Konate is approaching the end of his deal, and if he does not renew before June, the number 5 shirt would become available. There is a pleasing symmetry in the idea of one French centre back handing it to another, especially given how Konate himself took on that responsibility.
Andy Robertson is also in a delicate contractual moment, which means number 26 could be freed up too. That number has long been associated with defensive reliability on Merseyside, and for a player hoping to become a long term starter, it would carry weight.
Similarly, Joe Gomez and Wataru Endo could leave shirt numbers 2 and 3 available, should they leave in the summer.
Slot has already shown he values clarity and hierarchy, so any reassignment would be deliberate rather than cosmetic. If Jacquet is earmarked as a cornerstone rather than a rotation piece, giving him a statement number would make sense.
Liverpool fans already planning Jacquet shirts
We will not know for certain until the summer, but the buzz around Jeremy Jacquet is already building. Ligue 1 scouts have been effusive about his ceiling, and Liverpool have paid a fee that suggests they expect him to hit it quickly. When supporters start queuing for replica kits, the number on the back will matter less than the name, but choosing the right one can help a new signing feel like he belongs.
Whether it ends up being 13, 16 or even a reclaimed 5, Jacquet will arrive at Anfield with expectation stitched into every seam.
