Former Liverpool recruitment analyst Patrick Montgomery has shared an exciting assessment of the club’s latest defensive investment, Jeremy Jacquet, following confirmation of the 20-year-old’s €60m move from Rennes, with the highly rated centre-back set to arrive at Anfield in the summer.
Speaking on The Overlap Podcast, in comments shared via the show’s official X handle, Montgomery suggested Jacquet possesses the raw tools and upside to eventually reach the elite level of Europe’s best defenders — despite acknowledging the learning curve that comes with his age.
Liverpool’s long-term planning at centre-back has been a key focus, and Softfootball understands that manager Arne Slot has already backed Jacquet to develop into one of the club’s defensive pillars in the years ahead.
According to The Overlap Podcast, Montgomery said:
This could be on the Gabriel–Saliba–Van Dijk category eventually. I think they’re just different profiles.
You look at someone who may get fans off their feet in how he recovers — a ball goes behind him and he looks second best, but he recovers over a huge distance.
Or he might step in and hit a driven diagonal — things that catch the eye immediately and people may go, ‘okay, that’s different.’
He may make more mistakes because he is younger, but if he can have that consistency and reliability with his fitness, I do think he has the potential to be one of the best centre-backs — if not the best.
Watch the video below:
Montgomery’s comments highlight the belief inside football circles that Jacquet is not just a signing for depth, but a major long-term investment. With his blend of recovery speed, ball-playing confidence, and physical presence, Liverpool appear to be betting on potential — hoping the young defender can grow into a cornerstone of the club’s future defensive era.
