As the announcement, this Friday, of the very first list of players selected by Zinédine Zidane for the next gathering of the French team approaches, it is certain that several new faces are preparing to arrive at the Blues Esteban Lepaul, Andy Diouf or Lucas de Cunha could thus take their first steps, Monday, at Clairefontaine
And according to information published in L’Équipe, the new Blues staff are also closely following the performances across the Channel of Jérémy Jacquet, the young central defender of Liverpool. Recruited this summer from Rennes for around 70 million euros, the 21-year-old is already impressing with the speed of his adaptation to English football.
During the recent draw (0-0) against Fulham, the right center established himself as the best element of his team, notably distinguishing himself with a spectacular save on his line in the 11th minute. His statistics testify to early maturity: 5 aerial duels won out of 5, 96% of successful passes and 13 successful transmissions in the opposing final third. A performance praised by Anfield, who has already dedicated a personalized song to him.
Already better than Konaté?
This rise in power is already generating strong reactions among observers. Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge is full of praise for him. “From what I’ve seen of him, he’s a great deal. He is a better player than Ibrahima Konaté. In any case, he is much better than Konaté at the same age.” he confided in the columns of the Liverpool Echo.
Even if the comparison with the French international from Real Madrid may seem premature, it underlines the Frenchman’s immediate impact within the Reds collective. As for the player’s entourage as well as the club’s veterans, caution remains in order. In his entourage, we emphasize the importance of the anticipation work carried out upstream thanks to the timing of the transfer, completed this winter: search for accommodation, nutritional monitoring, English lessons, taking reference points with the reserve. So many elements which enabled this express integration.
For his part, Grégory Vignal, former Liverpool defender, urges us not to skip ahead. Remembering a match against Nottingham Forest where the young player struggled more, he tempers the general enthusiasm. “I think we have to let him progress quietly, without putting too much pressure on him,” he said while the competition for his position remains fierce and Liverpool is careful to spare his playing time.
