Jeremy Jacquet numbers indicate Liverpool upgraded on Konate in a big way

How does Jeremy Jacquet compare with Virgil van Dijk?

Jeremy Jacquet celebrates with Liverpool centre-back partner Virgil van Dijk. — (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)

This seems like a wholly unfair comparison to make at first. We are, after all, talking about possibly the greatest centre-back the Premier League has ever seen (not possibly, but certainly, in our eyes).

But the fact of the matter is that Jacquet’s duel numbers are so stratospherically good, the Dutchman’s actually a pretty good reference point.

Looking at our No.4’s last five Premier League seasons for Liverpool (via FotMob):

2025/26: 73.5% (98th percentile)
2024/25: 68.7% (94th “)
2023/24: 75.6% (97th “)
2022/23: 69.5% (92nd “)
2021/22: 73.5% (95th “)

So, you’re looking at an average duel success rate of 72.16%. Pretty excellent stuff.

Now over to Jacquet (also via FotMob), and we’d like to emphasise that we’re looking at a significantly smaller pool of data (3,019 minutes of action to Virgil’s 15,823):

2026/27 (live season): 76.3% (97th percentile)
2025/26 (1,673 Ligue 1 minutes with Rennes): 67.5% (91st “)
2024/25 (929 Ligue 1 minutes with Rennes): 60.9% (67th “)

The average duel success rate? 68.23%. A notable gap between Jacquet and Van Dijk, but one you’re expecting, given we’re talking about a seasoned professional at the top of his game and a now 21-year-old centre-back who’s still very much learning the tricks of the trade.

We do suspect that the French international will be unable to sustain such a high percentage over the course of the campaign, owing to his relative inexperience in the Premier League. But if it’s not a major dip, our No.5 is currently tracking to deliver Virgil van Dijk-esque numbers as far as duel success rate is concerned.

And he’s looking good in the air too

Jeremy Jacquet high fives Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker. — (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)

One major concern we had after losing Ibrahima Konate on a free was how Liverpool would look to replace the Frenchman’s quality without compromising our aerial dominance at the back.

With Jeremy Jacquet secured in January, it seems that Liverpool have not only addressed that concern, but also improved on the offering in possession.

Jeremy Jacquet’s stats in 2026/27 (per 90)	Ibrahima Konate’s stats in 2025/26 (per 90)
76.9% aerial duels won percentage (89th percentile)	71.3% aerial duels won percentage (90th percentile)
16.4 line-breaking passes (91st percentile)	11.7 line-breaking passes (69th percentile)

* Jeremy Jacquet and Ibrahima Konate’s stats in the Premier League (via FotMob)

As you can see there, we’ve maintained baseline levels for aerial duels for Van Dijk’s defensive partner but added a footballer who’s far more comfortable progressing the ball out of the backline. That’s some absolutely stellar work from the recruitment team.

We’re at pains to, again, emphasise that we’re judging Jacquet against a very small sample size in the Premier League. But the early signs indicate the Frenchman will be an important player for the Reds long term.