Liverpool took a gamble on Jérémy Jacquet and unearthed a gem

Jérémy Jacquet's choice of song for his Instagram post was telling after Liverpool beat Brighton on Sunday to keep their fourth clean sheet of the season.

"Trust the process, trust the plan," read the lyrics accompanying a carousel of photos from the match. That is precisely what the 21-year-old has been doing, and more, since completing his £60m move to Liverpool in the summer.

Things could have turned out very differently had Liverpool pushed harder to sign Leny Yoro in 2024. Yet while doing their due diligence on that deal, they stumbled upon another French centre-back: Jacquet, who was playing for Rennes at the time.

Yoro opted to join Manchester United from Lille and may well develop into an elite defender, but on Sunday afternoon, the contrast between the two was stark. The 20-year-old Yoro made a costly error in United's defeat to Bournemouth, while Jacquet produced another commanding display against Brighton. The ease with which he has settled at Liverpool has been remarkable, taking even the club's hierarchy by surprise.

Since arriving at Anfield, Jacquet has started every Premier League and Champions League fixture, clocking up more minutes this season (956) than any other Liverpool outfield player, trailing only Alisson (990). That seamless transition is even more impressive given he spent much of the year recovering from injuries—breaking his shoulder in February before suffering a knee issue over the summer.

Jacquet did not play a single minute during Liverpool's pre-season tour of the United States, making his debut—and scoring—in a friendly against Como at Anfield just a week before the Premier League kick-off. Following Ibrahima Konaté's departure to Real Madrid, a slot opened alongside Virgil van Dijk in central defence. With Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni sidelined through injury, Jacquet was thrust straight into the starting line-up for the season opener at Newcastle.

A Premier League debut at St James' Park is a baptism of fire. Despite conceding an early goal, his performance was encouraging—Jacquet completed more passes and made more successful passes into the final third than any other player in the first half.

A clash against Manchester City and Erling Haaland served as a timely reminder of the challenges ahead, but on the whole, he has been exceptional. The way the Frenchman handled Brentford's Igor Thiago a week later drew widespread praise, while on social media, his short-sleeved shirt and gloves look against Brighton sparked comparisons with legendary compatriot Marcel Desailly.

Jacquet has kept four clean sheets in the Premier League, ranks fourth across the division for interceptions (15) and blocked shots (10), and has won more tackles (19) than any of his Liverpool team-mates.

Following such a scintillating start to the campaign, a call-up to the France national team under Zinedine Zidane felt inevitable. And so the boy from Bondy—the same Parisian suburb that produced Kylian Mbappé and William Saliba—earned his senior international debut.

"Very good. Very, very good," Zidane said when asked about Jacquet's display against Italy earlier this month. "He is brave. He wasn't afraid to step high up the pitch. Very strong in his duels. Again, he was very good. I've said it four times now."

Liverpool host Chelsea at Anfield today in the League Cup, with Xabi Alonso returning to Merseyside. Jacquet could easily have been lining up in blue had Liverpool not stepped up their pursuit back in January. Chelsea were keen admirers and held him in high regard at Stamford Bridge, but he chose the Reds.

At the time, the move raised eyebrows, particularly as he had only 36 Ligue 1 appearances under his belt. Having missed out on Marc Guéhi the previous summer during a challenging campaign, sporting director Richard Hughes was willing to wait until the end of the season, with Rennes reluctant to sanction a mid-season departure.

Just a few months into the new season, Liverpool appear to have found a genuine diamond. Jacquet is part of a four-man group at Anfield—alongside Bradley Barcola, Victor Muñoz, and Ronald Araújo—taking English lessons. By all accounts, he has taken that, and everything else, in his stride.

Living in Liverpool, he spends much of his downtime with fellow youngsters including Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni. Staff at the AXA Training Centre describe him as mature and confident off the pitch, matching his demeanour on it.

Having experienced heads like Van Dijk and Araújo alongside him has undoubtedly helped, yet in just a matter of months, Jacquet has established himself as a mainstay on the teamsheet. While he was substituted early in his first few outings as he built up match fitness, those concerns are firmly in the past.

"Our relationship is good. It gets better with every single day we work together. That's what I said from day one: it takes games, but also training and speaking off the pitch," said the 35-year-old Van Dijk—the only defender to have cost Liverpool more than Jacquet.

"There are good moments and tougher moments, but it's about how we react and help each other; you can see our partnership growing. He's doing brilliantly. Let's see how far he can go—what his ceiling is. I don't think he's near his limit yet, so we keep pushing," the Dutchman added.

Aadam Patel, BBC Sport