Liverpool’s new era under Andoni Iraola is still in its early chapters, but one storyline is already writing itself in bold letters: the rapid rise of Jeremy Jacquet.
The 21-year-old French centre-back arrived at Anfield this summer in a deal worth around £60 million from Rennes, a signing completed in January but delayed until the start of the new campaign. What many expected to be a careful bedding-in process has instead become one of the more eye-catching individual stories of the young Premier League season. And no one has been more vocal in his admiration than the man charged with getting the best out of him – Andoni Iraola.
The Basque coach has never been one for empty praise. His comments about players tend to be measured, technical, and rooted in what he sees day to day. That is what makes his repeated public backing of Jacquet so striking.
“A player I knew very well”
From the moment he took the job, Iraola made clear that Jacquet was not a stranger to him. “Jeremy was a player that I knew very well, even before signing for Liverpool,” he said shortly after his appointment. “Still being young, I think he has all the tools that we will need for that position.”
Those tools, as Iraola has described them across multiple interviews, form a complete modern centre-back profile: composure and confidence on the ball, aggression and timing without it, recovery pace, and a mentality that the coach clearly values highly. “He is confident on the ball, he is aggressive without the ball. He is quick and, mentality-wise, you can see he is hungry to win things, to play minutes.”
That hunger has been visible even when the physical side of the Premier League tested him early on. Jacquet arrived carrying the after-effects of a shoulder injury that had cut short his previous season in Ligue 1. The intensity of English football hit him hard in the opening weeks. He finished matches with cramps. He needed to be substituted. Iraola did not hide it – but he also refused to sound concerned.
“In the first games, physically he was feeling the change of rhythm,” Iraola explained after a recent strong performance. “He was finishing with cramps, finishing really tired and we had to sub him. Today has been a step forward. He looked solid until the end and I think he’s finished physically also in a good place. I hope he can continue this development.”
Building something solid
That “step forward” has become a recurring theme. After Jacquet completed full 90-minute shifts and helped Liverpool keep consecutive clean sheets, Iraola’s satisfaction was obvious. The defensive unit is starting to look more cohesive the more minutes the centre-backs spend together. Jacquet’s understanding with Virgil van Dijk has grown quickly, and the younger man’s ability to play progressive passes while remaining reliable in duels has given Liverpool a different look at the back.
Iraola has also been quick to celebrate the personal milestones. When Jacquet received his first senior France call-up, the manager’s response was warm and genuine. “I’m happy for him because he’s also received his first international call-up. He’s going with France and that is a big national team and I know that he is happy. He’s still very young, he is adapting really well to the Premier League.”
There is a quiet pride in the way Iraola talks about the player’s progress. This is not simply a coach protecting a big-money signing. It feels more like recognition of a footballer who is meeting – and in some areas exceeding – the high bar that was set for him the moment he walked through the door at the AXA Training Centre.
The long view
At 21, Jacquet still has plenty of growth ahead of him. Iraola has been careful not to place unrealistic expectations on the Frenchman’s shoulders, even as the performances demand attention. The coach has spoken about “building” physical condition after months without consistent football and about maintaining the standards set in strong early displays. There is a clear sense that the best version of Jacquet is still to come, and that Liverpool are only beginning to see what that version looks like.
For supporters, the public endorsement from Iraola carries weight. Managers who speak this way about young players usually do so because the evidence in training and matches is impossible to ignore. Jacquet’s blend of technical security, defensive aggression, and competitive appetite aligns closely with the style Iraola wants his teams to play – intense, organised, and comfortable progressing the ball from the back.
The Premier League is a harsh examiner of young defenders. Many talented centre-backs take time to adjust to its physicality and speed. Jacquet’s early trajectory under Iraola suggests he is passing that examination at an accelerated rate. The shoulder injury is behind him. The cramps are becoming less frequent. The international recognition has arrived. And the manager who oversees him every day continues to speak about him with a mixture of satisfaction and quiet excitement.
“He has all the tools,” Iraola said when asked about the new signing in the summer. A few months into the season, those words look less like optimistic projection and more like a clear-eyed assessment of a player already making his mark at Anfield.
Jeremy Jacquet still has a long road ahead. But with Andoni Iraola in his corner – and publicly singing his praises – few would bet against him continuing to take those steps forward.
