Liverpool's suffer blow on £60m signing before he's even arrived

Liverpool have spent £60m on a new player but he's already suffered a blow. The player isn't even at Anfield yet.

Liverpool completed a deal for Jeremy Jacquet back on the January deadline day, paying around £60m. Though, they won't actually have him join until the summer.

The idea was for Jacquet to complete the season with Rennes, getting a bit more experience. Though, the real reason for the delay is that Rennes weren't ready to let him go and the only way they were dealing in January was if they could hold onto him.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for that to prove a wrong decision by everyone involved. Jacquet has suffered a major blow and one that will impact his debut season with Liverpool.

Jeremy Jacquet: Situation Summary

Confirmation of Season-Ending Surgery

As of 5 March 2026, the primary update on Jérémy Jacquet is that he is officially set to undergo surgery to repair a serious shoulder injury. The 20-year-old French defender sustained the injury on 7 February, just five days after his £60 million (£55 million upfront plus £5 million in add-ons) transfer from Stade Rennais to Liverpool was finalised. After nearly a month of "inconclusive" pain tests and medical evaluations intended to avoid an operation, Stade Rennais released a formal statement on 3 March confirming that surgical intervention is now scheduled for the coming days.

Impact on Development and Arrival

This surgery effectively ends Jacquet's 2025/26 campaign, meaning he is unlikely to play for Rennes again before his official move to Anfield on 1 July 2026. While Liverpool medical staff have been in constant communication with their French counterparts, they reportedly deferred the final decision on surgery to the player and the Ligue 1 club. The consensus amongst specialists is that the injury has "robbed" Jacquet of several months of vital development time in a competitive league, which may lead to a "lighter load" during his initial pre-season training in England.

Pre-season and Long-term Outlook

Despite the severity of the setback, the player and Liverpool’s medical team remain optimistic that he will be fit to join the squad for the start of pre-season in July. Liverpool have already confirmed a United States tour for the 2026/27 preparations, including matches against Wrexham, Sunderland, and Leeds in cities such as Chicago and Nashville. Jacquet is expected to be a central part of these plans as the club prepares for a defensive transition, with head coach Arne Slot previously describing the Frenchman as a "very big talent" who fits the club's model of signing high-potential players capable of immediate improvement.

A real blow

L'Equipe reports that Jacquet could now miss as many as six months after surgery on his shoulder. It's been known for some time that the injury ended his season prematurely, but it seems things are even worse than first thought.

That's a real blow. It's one that means Jacquet loses an important few months of football with Rennes that was planned to give him extra experience before moving to Liverpool. But it also means he may not be around for pre-season upon joining the Reds - something vital for every new player.

We saw this season, for instance, how Alexander Isak struggled after not having a pre-season. He's still waiting to get fully up to speed after his own injury.

And now the club may go through similar with Jacquet. We'll keep our fingers crossed that he's back ASAP and can have a pre-season. Otherwise, this is a real blow to the start of next season.

Giovanni Leoni, of course, remains out and will be working his way back by the start of next season. Now it's possible that Jacquet will be doing the same, leaving the squad very short.

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